LeBron James Declines Option for 2018–19 Season, Becomes Unrestricted Free Agent
The NBA post-season story is now firmly centered around LeBron James, who has just declined the player option on the last year of his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers. With James now an unrestricted free agent, all eyes are now on the 33-year-old and the next move that he will make for his free agency this summer.
James, still arguably the best NBA player currently active in the league had until 11:59 p.m. EDT on Friday, June 29, to pick up an option to extend his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Now that the deadline has expired, the superstar is now out on the free agency market, a move that would soon decide the balance of power in the NBA for the next season and beyond, as ESPN pointed out.
James had left on the table a third season option worth $35.6 million that would have seen him stay one more year with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the 2018–19 NBA season.
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With the free agency officially starting past midnight on Sunday, July 1, James will now be a part of this summer's free agency class that includes top names like Paul George, Chris Paul, DeMarcus Cousins and more.
LeBron James is entering the NBA free agency market off one of his bigger performances this last season, starting in all 82 regular season games and averaging 27.5 points, a career high for the superstar. He rebounded an average of 8.6 times per game and set another career high in assists with 9.1.
Impressive as those numbers were, he still had another gear to shift up to during the playoffs. In a post-season that eventually saw the Cavaliers swept in the final round against the Warriors, James averaged 34 points, 9.1 rebounds and nine assists while shooting 53.9 percent from the field.
It was a heroic effort that was anything one could ask for from James as he will now test the waters of free agency this summer. "I have no idea at this point," James said after the NBA Finals, asked about when he is heading next.
