Are you sitting down?
Good, because according to a report from Chris Sheridan, LeBron James has made his decision to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and is expected to make the announcement before leaving to catch the World Cup final in Brazil on Sunday.
Apart from immediately shifting the balance of power in the East, the move will carry a substantial ripple effect across the NBA in terms of player movement and where the remaining free agents will wind up. For example, a recent report suggested that Chris Bosh’s decision to return to Miami or not was on hold until LeBron chose his next team, and that the former Toronto Raptor will sign with the Houston Rockets should James leave. And there are many more dominoes to fall from there.
A native of nearby Akron, Ohio, James was selected by Cleveland with the first overall pick of the 2003 draft. He took the team to the NBA Finals in 2007 and three seasons later made an exodus to Miami, where he went on to win two titles and appear in four consecutive NBA Finals.
Should James return to the Cavs, he will join an exciting young team that features Kyrie Irving and Canadians Andrew Wiggins, Tristan Thompson, and Anthony Bennett, as well as first-time NBA head coach David Blatt.
James is reported to be seeking a max contract offer that will pay him in the neighbourhood of $20 million per season.
