LeBron James still has the Cavs as frontrunner, according to a source
A source close to LeBron James says the Cavaliers still have the edge in signing him to a free agent contract.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- With rumors popping up and then being shot down routinely, one thing remains clear though all of the chaos surrounding LeBron James' free agency: the Cavaliers are still the frontrunner.
A source close to James told The Plain Dealer Tuesday morning that James still considers the Cavs to have the edge in re-signing the two-time Most Valuable Player. This is based not only on the fact that the Cavs can pay him $30 million more than another team over the next six years, but also that it is James' home.
James will host a series of meetings in the Akron area starting Thursday at 10 a.m. when the New Jersey Nets are scheduled to make the first presentation, a source said. Nets new Russian owner Mikhail Prokhorov is flying to the U.S. just for the meeting before immediately flying back out. Then the New York Knicks are expected to present their case followed by a series of other suitors that could last much of Thursday and Friday.
The Cavs and likely a new head coach, which the team hopes to hire in the next two days, might also meet with James. While there have been reports that the Cavs are close to hiring Lakers assistant coach Brian Shaw, a team source said Tuesday morning that the Cavs have not made an offer to Shaw or other leading candidate Byron Scott.
After all the meetings, according to sources, James is expected to make his decision over a period of several days. Until then, James does not plan on committing to anything.
Over the last several days there have been a series of stories from newspaper and websites that have linked James to the Knicks, Bulls and Heat. Various denials then followed. Late Monday, ESPN reported that James met with fellow free agents Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade over the weekend in Miami.
But sources close to James have told The Plain Dealer that James was in New York over the weekend and did not travel to Miami. It is possible that Wade, James and Bosh all spoke on the telephone about their options and plans as they hit free agency. All three are represented by the same agency.
Wade and Bosh's agent, Henry Thomas, told the Miami Herald that the three did not meet in Miami.