LeBron James opted out of his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers as he joins other players seeking better pay beginning next season. The same scenario is expected next season and the trend could remain the same for the rest of his NBA career.
James opting out hardly a surprise
James’ habit of signing two year deals is expected. The 2016-17 season will see salary caps jump to $94 million and even higher in 2017-18 at $107 million. For James, he could sign a two-year contract with the Cavs worth $56.3 million and likely opt out again next year and earn even bigger.
After 2017, James may eventually opt to sign a longer deal with the Cavs or any other team though it may not happen according to USA Today. It turns out that James will fall prey to a clause on the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) referred to as the “over 36 rule”.
Tricky CBA ruling
The rule is complicated but when summed up, prevents teams from giving four or five year deals to players who will unlikely play the life of the deal and have no salary cap consequences.
In the case of James, signing a max deal next Summer may not be applicable. It would mean that the 2016 NBA Finals MVP would be prevented from signing a five-year max deal approximately worth $200 million.
Based on the CBA rulings, that stands for now. But then again, there could be changes moving forward stemming from a possible CBA renegotiation. Only that could alter a long-term deal for James, assuming that he is looking for one by 2017.
Future options limited for LeBron
Should a new ruling come to play, James could end up with one of two choices. The first one is re-signing with the Cavs for $156.8 million or hooking up with another team for a slightly lower $150.4 million.
Staying on with the Cavs would be the likely choice with the figures of his contract standing as the only obstacle according to Cleveland.com.
While all that is in the air, check out the video below highlighting LeBron James’ top 10 plays.