While LeBron James soaks in the humbling loss against the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals, many are left to wonder what’s next in store for the best player in the league.
Will he opt out of his current deal or stay another year with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade? That probably depends on what Pat Riley has in store for this offseason.
Mario Chalmers, Chris Anderson and Rashard Lewis are free agents. Shane Battier is retiring and Ray Allen is debating on doing the same. That’s a lot of changes (potentially) to the roster, which means the Miami Heat must develop chemistry all over again with new role players should the Big Three remain intact.
What’s true is that the Heat have declined since last season on both ends of the floor, and they should – at the very least – be a little nervous about what James may do next.
Should he have interest in being moved, plenty of teams will line up for the opportunity, including the Los Angeles Clippers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Houston Rockets. Here’s what Bill Simmons had to say about the situation:
FYI: it’s easy for Clips to make a LeBron run. Trade Deandre + Jamal to teams with cap space (easy), then use 1st rounder to dump Dudley $
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) June 18, 2014
Also – if you don’t think the Clips are exploring that game plan, you are nuts. Clips, Cavs + Rockets are LeBron’s suitors if he gets antsy.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) June 18, 2014
I still believe the most likely outcome is LeBron opting back into his Miami deal for one more year. Buys him time for a variety of things.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) June 18, 2014
No one really knows what’s next, but if James does stay put out of loyalty to the team he has won two championships with, he’ll probably do so knowing that the chances of getting another ring with the current group will be slim due to the uncertain nature of the roster situation.
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James Park is the chief blogger of Sheridan Hoops. Follow him on twitter @SheridanBlog.