LeBron Now Eligible For Extension With Cavs

[The Goods]

Saturday is the first day that LeBron James is eligible to sign a contract extension with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

 

Signing an extension to stay in Cleveland is the option that would give James the highest yearly salary he can earn under the rules of the NBA's collective bargaining agreement. If James does not sign an extension and opts to become a free-agent, he would make less per year under any new contract with the Cavs or another team. Over the same five years, the difference would add up to about $2.7 million less under a new contract with the Cavs and about $7.7 million less under a new contract with a team other than the Cavs. (Note that if James enters free-agency and signs a new contract with the Cavs, the team could offer him an extra sixth season.)

 

Of course, maximum salary figures under the CBA are not the only factors that could weigh on James' decision. Setting himself up to contend for multiple championships is likely to play a major role in the choices that James makes over the next year. And the compensation that any superstar earns is not limited by the salary checks he receives from his team.

 

"The obvious caveat is that 'Bron will likely be OK with leaving a bit of cheddar on table," one NBA team executive told Ken Berger of CBS Sports. "The cap going down makes it worse for the Cavs, because that makes an even louder case for more endorsement money to offset. Madison Avenue or Maple Street? I say 'A.'"

 

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