LeBron opts out, enters free agency

CLEVELAND, OH - JUNE 08: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers looks on in the first quarter against the Golden State Warriors during Game Four of the 2018 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena on June 8, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Jason Miller/Getty Images/AFP

NEW YORK, United States — NBA superstar LeBron James informed the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday he would not exercise his $35.6-million contract option, according to multiple reports, making him the top free agent prize.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer, USA Today, ESPN and several Cleveland television stations reported James would test free agency, making the move hours before Friday’s just-before-midnight deadline.

The Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets and Philadelphia 76ers are expected to be the most ardent suitors of James, who has played in the past eight NBA Finals and nine overall in his career.

Four-time NBA Most Valuable Player James could still sign a new deal with the Cavaliers, the hometown team he led to an NBA crown in 2016 to snap a major sports title drought dating to 1964.

But the Cavaliers were swept by the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals earlier this month and James makes no secret of wanting to play on a team that can challenge the Warriors, winners of three titles in four seasons, for NBA crowns.

James, 3-6 in the finals, left Cleveland in 2010 for the Miami Heat, where he won two titles and twice lost in the finals before returning to the Cavs in 2014 with a vow to make them champions. AFP