Miami Heat expected LeBron James to opt out
By Josh Hill
The Miami Heat are dealing with the reality that LeBron James has opted out of his contract and will be testing free agency this summer for the second time in his career. Miami knew a decision like that might be coming down, but to have it finally happen is forcing South Beach to sober up and think about the future.
More from LeBron James
- LeBron James, Giannis, Damian Lillard all want that Mbappé money
- We finally have the worst LeBron James take of all time, and it’s glorious
- Bruce Brown takes shot at Lakers, LeBron James after cashing in
- LeBron James confirms the obvious about retirement in fiery ESPYs speech
- The new NBA flopping rules explained
As a result, the Heat released a statement from team president Pat Riley on Tuesday to discuss the team’s feelings about LeBron James opting out to test free agency. Long story short: it was an expected move that apparently doesn’t faze the Heat one bit moving forward.
"“I was informed this morning of his intentions. We fully expected LeBron to opt-out and exercise his free agent rights, so this does not come as a surprise. As I said at the press conference last week, players have a right to free agency and when they have these opportunities, the right to explore their options. The last four seasons have been historic and LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Erik Spoelstra have led the Miami HEAT to one of the most unprecedented runs in the history of the NBA. We look forward to sitting down with LeBron and his representatives and talking about our future together. At the moment, we are preparing for the opportunities in the Draft and Free Agency as we continue with our goal of winning NBA Championships.”"
Riley has always been a bit rough around the edges and he’s never been afraid to stand his ground — which he’s clearly doing here. Let’s not forget that he basically called LeBron out last week and dared him to try and opt out and that has now become the case.
There isn’t a whole lot of panic right now in Miami though as James would have been foolish to not opt out and put pressure on the Heat to improve their roster, but a lot can now happen and a return to Miami isn’t a certainty for LeBron.