LeBron to Become Unrestricted Free Agent

Here’s the best news in a long time for the New York Knicks and their beat writers Alan Hahn, Frank Isola, Marc Berman and my boy Tommy Dee of SNY.tv.

Per the Cleveland Plain Dealer, LeBron plans to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

In his strongest comments on the subject to date, the reigning NBA MVP indicated on Friday that he would not sign the extension, believed to be three years, offered by the Cavs on July 18 nor pick up his player option that would keep him with the team through the 2010-11 season.
Speaking at the launch of his new Nike Air Max LeBron VII sneakers, James said, “I signed a contract in 2006 with an option. It would make no sense for me to sign that contract if I didn’t keep my options open.
“I’ll let you fill in the blanks.”

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Written by Adam Zagoria

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Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle. A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013. He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.