LeBron James enters free agency undecided on future, Cavs draw close to deal with Byron Scott and other Cavs free agent news
LeBron James is officially a free agent.On the first day of free agency only one thing was clear, LeBron James is now officially a free agent.
As was expected, James passed on his $17.1 million player option and became an unrestricted free agent at midnight on Thursday.
According to multiple sources, James entered free agency with an open mind and had made no final decisions on his future. It was exactly the way he said he'd enter the process 18 months ago and he's stuck to his plan. That process includes holding a series of meetings with suitors.
Those will start Thursday when the New Jersey Nets and New York Knicks are expected to meet with James. The meetings are expected to last three days and include the Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Clippers. The Cavs are expected to be one of the last team to meet with James.
Scott update
(Note: Byron Scott has now accepted the Cavaliers' job)
After negotiating into the early morning hours, the Cavs made great progress in talks with Byron Scott on a contract to become the team's next head coach, sources said. All signs point to the Cavs finalizing the deal on Thursday.
The Cavs re-opened talks with Scott after a series of meetings Wednesday morning. After meeting with the team on Monday and Tuesday, Lakers assistant Brian Shaw the team did not formally offer him the job.
Cavs make free agent calls
While James is clearly their No. 1 priority, the Cavs have other missions in the free agency period that began on Thursday.
The team is expected to contact high-profile free agents Amare' Stoudemire, who they attempted to trade for in February, and Chris Bosh. Both options would require sign-and-trades and neither is likely unless James elects to re-sign with the team first.
According to sources, one of the team's other interests is Dallas Mavericks' center Brendan Haywood. The Cavs actually drafted Haywood in the first round nine years ago before trading him on draft night. With Shaquille O'Neal and Zydrunas Ilgausaks becoming free agents, the Cavs are looking at big men options.
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Haywood averaged 9.1 points and 9.3 rebounds with the Wizards and Mavericks last season. A source said the Cavs may be interested in doing a double sign-and-trade by swapping Haywood for O'Neal. However, such a deal would be complex and hard to execute.
The Cavs are also believed to pursue in various shooting guards. Sources indicated the team planned to make contact with Ray Allen, Mike Miller and John Salmons. Allen, like Stoudemire and Bosh, would become more likely if James re-signs.
Miller has been a target of the team for the last several years and has a strong relationship with James. He's expected to draw a lot of interest from other teams as well. Salmons opted out of his contract with the Milwaukee Bucks but several reports have indicated he may re-sign with that team.
One other player the Cavs are expected to show interest in is Knicks free agent forward Al Harrington.
The Cavs currently don't have any salary-cap space but have their $5.5 million mid-level exception and a $1.9 million biannual exception they can use on free agents. However, it is most likely they'll wait on a decision from James before getting serious with any candidate.