Report: LeBron will be asking for max contract
When free agency begins just after midnight Tuesday, LeBron James will be asking for a max contract, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst:
Teams who contact James will be informed that he wants no less than the maximum salary number for next season, sources said. The max number is projected to be $22.2 million.
There are seven teams in the NBA with enough cap space to offer James a max contract: the Heat, Lakers, Suns, Jazz, Mavericks, Magic and 76ers. The Heat have the most cap space of the bunch, with $55 million available to spend.
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Signing James to a max contract would leave the Heat with less money to spend on Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, who both opted out of their current contracts.
Windhorst adds that because of LeBron's salary demands there is "growing pessimism among teams that James is seriously considering leaving the Heat."
— Dan Gartland
