LeBron James opted out of his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but that doesn’t mean he’s planning to leave the team. According to James himself, there’s no question that he’ll come back to his home team for the 2016-17 season. The question is, how much money will he make to sign up with the Cavs again? Reports indicate James could earn $27.5 million next season with a new contract instead of the $24 million he originally signed up for. Considering James’ 2015-16 performance with 1,920 points, 25.3 points per game an an NBA Finals Championship under his belt, a 15% raise in pay doesn’t seem like a bad deal for the Cavaliers. However, James could alternatively earn $30.8 million per year for a two year deal with the Cavs or over $40 million a year if he holds out for a five year contract in 2017.
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Related: LeBron James Net Worth
Counterpoint
James probably won’t retire any time soon. He’s most likely going to sign up for at least two more years anyway. That being the case, why wouldn’t he sign a two year contract for $30.8 million a year instead of a one-year deal for $27.5 million? The answer is that he could make even more money in the future if he takes a bit of a cut in the near term. If James takes the lesser deal, the Cavs would become open to offering him the biggest NBA contract in history. Some reports put the value of this future deal at a probable $202 million over five years. That would net James just over $40 million a year. That would make him the highest paid NBA player of all time.