NBA Rumors: Cleveland Cavaliers To Lose LeBron James In Free Agency?

USA Today

After LeBron James returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers in summer of 2014, the superstar forward was able to lead the team to the NBA Finals while playing alongside Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving. Although the Golden State Warriors came out victorious last year, LeBron’s Cavaliers were back on the map and considered to be a legitimate title contender for the foreseeable future.

Almost two years after LeBron decided to leave the Miami Heat for the Cleveland franchise that drafted him back in 2003, the two-time NBA champion may be considering leaving him hometown once again in NBA free agency.

According to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, LeBron may have one foot out the door in Cleveland:

What everybody close to him continuously reminds me of is, “Don’t you dare take this guy for granted or think for one second he’s trapped into staying in Cleveland just because he came back. Don’t put it past him to get so annoyed that he’ll leave again if he feels like he’s being taken for granted, ran into the ground and essentially misused.” That’s what they say.

James will have the opportunity to opt out of his current deal with the Cavaliers this summer and will likely do so to cash in with the league-wide salary cap bump. Fellow superstar Kevin Durant will be the hot commodity on the free-agent market come July, but LeBron could make things interesting if he’s not happy in Cleveland.

With LeBron recently flying back to Miami to workout with former teammate Dwyane Wade during one of his days off, the rumors have begun to circulate about James potentially considering going back to the Heat. Miami still has a talented roster capable of being a force to be reckoned with and adding LeBron back in the mix could turn them back into a title contender once again.

LeBron has been giving subtle hints that he’s not happy with the situation in Cleveland. Irving and Love have struggled to see eye-to-eye with the four-time NBA MVP, and drastic changes could be on the horizon if the Cavaliers fail to win a title this season.

It’ll be interesting to see how things pan out for the Cavaliers, but one thing is for certain, all is not well in Cleveland.