The Cleveland Cavaliers fell short in disappointing fashion in the 2018 NBA Finals, suffering a four-game sweep at the hands of the Golden State Warriors in Game 4 on Friday night. It immediately put LeBron James’ long-term future with the franchise in question with the potential of him hitting the open market as an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Following the Game 4 loss, James touched upon what will be a thorough decision process for him over the next three weeks leading up to the June 29 deadline where he will have to make his decision on his player option in his contract for the 2018-19 season. According to Matt Moore of The Action Network, the 33-year-old did reveal that it will be an easier decision for him to make this time around.
It will be a completely different experience this time, given that he has won an NBA title in Cleveland before making this major free-agency decision. The last time that he chose to leave the Cavaliers, it was due to him taking the next step in his career to go somewhere he felt he could grow as a player while finally getting over the hump as he was unable to do that in his first seven years in the league.
There will also be less to weigh given that he came back to the organization and accomplished what he set out to do, along with the fact that his kids being older that will allow him to make the decision-making process easier. It doesn’t mean that he has fewer factors to weigh as he has gained a strong personal connection with the city of Cleveland that has grown stronger in his second return to the franchise that only got heightened by bringing them their first NBA title.
Ultimately, it will be a thorough process that won’t be as taxing on him from a mental standpoint in what will be another major decision in his illustrious career.