While Kyrie Irving wants to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James plans to stay with the team for the duration of the 2017-18 season. According to Chris Haynes of ESPN, sources close to James said the superstar will not waive his no-trade clause for any team at any point next season and plans to stay with Cavaliers no matter what their win-loss record is. James is set to earn $33.28 million in the coming season and has a $35.6 million player option for the 2018-19 campaign. However, Haynes mentioned that James hasn’t made a decision on whether to exercise or opt out of that option for 2018.
If he declines, he could test the free agent market or join the Los Angeles Lakers as earlier reported.
James’ decision to stay for the duration of the 2017-18 season came days after Irving’s request to be traded became public. Irving told Cavaliers team owner Dan Gilbert that he wants to be the focal point of a team’s offense and he’s tired of playing the No. 2 role behind James.
James focused on winning next season
According to sources close to the four-time MVP, James is focused on winning next season as a member of the Cavaliers and will comply with the obligations under his contract. When James returned to the Cavs in 2014, he led the team to three straight finals appearance and a title two seasons ago.
Earlier, James expressed frustration over the team’s lack of offseason moves after missing out on Paul George and Jimmy Butler and letting go of general manager David Griffin.
After missing out on George and Butler, the Cavaliers signed three-point specialist Kyle Korver to a three-year, $22 million deal. They also inked veterans Jeff Green and Jose Calderon to one-year contracts and brought in 22-year-old Turkish forward Cedi Osman, whom they signed to a three-year deal worth $8.3 million.
No chance for Cavs to trade James in coming season
James’ pronouncement over the no-trade clause in his deal puts the Cavaliers in a bind as they cannot trade him, meaning they will be empty-handed if the superstar decides to bolt for a second time in 2018. Earlier, Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report raised the possibility that the Cavaliers could trade James before the season starts.
In 2010, Gilbert let James leave the team via free agency without getting anything in return. If James leaves in 2018, the $1.2 billion value of the franchise is expected to drop by 26 percent. In 2010, the Cavaliers’ value dropped by 26 percent to $355 million.
