Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James talkes about his teammates during a rally, Wednesday, June 22, 2016, in Cleveland. The Cavaliers made history by overcoming a 3-1 deficit to beat the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals and end the city's 52-year drought without a professional sports championship. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
LeBron James turned down his $24 million player option for the 2016-17 season on Wednesday night, making the Cleveland Cavaliers star and NBA Finals MVP a free agent once again, his agent has confirmed.
Only this time, fans in Cleveland aren't sweating nearly as much.
For one, he's made it clear he plans to stay put.
Secondly, there's the little matter of delivering on his promise to finally give the city a long-awaited championship.
The opt-out decision, first reported by ESPN's Chris Broussard, has been long expected, as is the notion that he'll sign a one-year deal with the Cavs for about somewhere between $27.5 and $30 million that will allow him to take full advantage of an expected salary cap jump in 2017-18.
James turns 32 in December, but is coming off a dominant NBA Finals that erased any doubts of his status in the NBA's hierarchy.
His former teammate in Miami, Dwyane Wade, is also a free agent and is reportedly listening to offers from teams other than the Heat. Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant is also a free agent, and will be listening to pitches from at least half a dozen teams.
On a side note, the Banana Boat Boys are back ... so maybe Cleveland fans should sweat just a little.
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