LeBron James: Family and Winning to Dictate Free Agency

LeBron James told reporters Sunday that winning and his family will ultimately determine what he chooses to do as a free agent this summer.

The 33-year-old has a $35.6 million player’s option on his Cavs deal for next season, which he is widely expected to decline.

James, however, cautioned that he has yet to give the momentous decision much thought.

Per Cleveland.com:

“I don’t think like that,” James told cleveland.com, after the Cavs practiced Sunday in New York. “I’m too much of a guy that’s stuck in the moment. I don’t do too much of that.”

When it comes time for James to weigh his options, he said Sunday that the most important component in determining whether he stays in northeast Ohio or leaves will be his family.

“My family. That’s all that matters,” James told cleveland.com. “I want to continue to win at the highest level, because I know I can still do it as an individual, and then my family. My family is what’s most important to me, more than anything.”

The James family also has a home (well, two at the moment) in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. They wouldn’t have those homes if they didn’t like to live there, too. But there is also a reason they never sold their Bath Township estate while James played for four seasons in Miami — northeast Ohio is home.

“That’s just a small piece of it,” James said, when asked if the decision comes down to where his family wants to live. “We make joint decisions all together, all the time. Once we get to it, my agent and my team we will all tackle it the right way but my family plays a big part in it. And winning.”