In another look into the world of Heat rumors and news, Miami Heat star LeBron James is looking for no less than a max contract during the 2014 NBA free agency period, per sources close to ESPN.com.
According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, "the max number is projected to be $22.2 million. In 2010, James accepted a pay cut when he signed with the Miami Heat, taking less than the maximum salary to help make space for other free agents."
James is currently not scheduled to meet with any prospective suitors face-to-face, letting his agent, Klutch Sports' Rich Paul, handle preliminary talks. This is a complete change from James' process in the summer of 2010, where he scheduled six meetings at his offices in Cleveland during the first three days of free agency.
The four-time NBA MVP has never been the highest paid player on his team during his 11-year NBA career, and it now looks as if he is putting the onus on teammates Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to accept less money in order to keep him around.
Per Windhorst, there are seven NBA teams which currently have the $22.2 million in cap space to sign LeBron outright for the max: the Heat, Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, and Utah Jazz.
Of those, the Lakers and Suns have the space to both add James along with another top-tier free agent to sweeten their pitch to James.
The Cleveland Cavs, Chicago Bulls, and Houston Rockets do not have the cap space necessary at the present moment to sign LeBron at a $22.2 million price tag, but have expressed willingness to clear space on their books in order to offer James what he wants.
Miami will have approximately $55 million in cap space, but still need to put together contract offers to Wade, Bosh, and Udonis Haslem. Therefore, if James follows through on his request for the max salary, the Heat may not have enough space to bring in another max-level free agent.
One unknown in this process is the contract length that LeBron is looking for. After the NBA Finals, James stated that he was looking for flexibility on his next deal - perhaps looking for a shorter term in order to test free agency again within the next year or two.
Chat Sports will have more on this developing situation as additional information is made available.
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