Don’t freak out just yet, Clevelanders. While it is true that Cavaliers general manager David Griffin indicated on Thursday that he expects both LeBron James and Kevin Love to opt out of their current contracts this month, James is expected to return to the team on a deal similar to the one he signed last summer.
David Griffin says he believes LeBron James and Kevin Love will opt out, but he expects them to be back with #Cavs.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) June 18, 2015
For James, the decision to opt out is more to do with earning a bit of extra cash on another one-year deal before hitting the free-agent market again next summer when max contacts are expected to increase. It’s more of a procedural thing than anything else.
The same cannot be said for Love, who could potentially look to bolt from the Cavaliers for a larger market and a chance to become a No. 1 option on another team.
Earlier today, we ran an article that included an interesting tidbit from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst indicating that Love is one of two top-end free agents likely to move on this summer. Considering the insider’s sole task this year has been to follow everything LeBron and Cleveland related, that’s a report worth noting.
So while James is expected to be back in Cleveland next year, Love’s future appears to be up in the air.
Photo: USA Today Sports