LeBron James has notified the Cavaliers that he intends to opt out of his contract and become a free agent, according to ESPN.
The move was expected, as James has said he wants to see what the team does in free agency before re-signing, which he reportedly plans on doing.
Sources: despite becoming free agent, @KingJames will not visit other teams. He will re-sign with Cavs later this summer.
— Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) June 28, 2015Still, the move is scary for Cavaliers fans, as they've watched their local hero leave them for greener pastures before. It seems unlikely James will go somewhere else before bringing a title to Cleveland, but with Kevin Love already opting out of his deal and Tristan Thompson expected to get a max-contract, the salary cap-riddled Cavaliers might not make the moves James wants.
James was set to make a little over $21.5 million this year, and just over $22.6 million next year, but will now have a new contract when he presumably re-signs with the Cavaliers at the end of the summer.