LeBron: I would take a pay cut to play with Wade, Paul and Anthony
LeBron James already took one pay cut to play with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
Now he’s saying he would consider it again to play with his closest friends before the end of their careers.
In an interview with Bleacher Report, James said he would take a pay cut to play with Wade, Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony. The story highlights James’s friendship with Anthony.
“I really hope that, before our career is over, we can all play together,” James said. “At least one, maybe one or two seasons—me, Melo D-Wade, CP—we can get a year in. I would actually take a pay cut to do that.”
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The four players, who share many accolades, have been friends for many years. All four played together at the Olympics, and Wade, James and Anthony were all part of the same draft class.
Anthony may have already missed his chance to play with Wade and James. In the same story, James revealed he and Wade were subtly suggesting to Anthony he become a free agent in 2010, when James joined Wade and Bosh in Miami.
“Yeah, they plotted that,” [Anthony] said, still chuckling. “They plotted that.”
So, why didn't they tell you?
“I guess they was telling me, in their own way: ‘Take the three-year deal.’”
The quote is relayed to James, who affirms, “We were.”
Wade will be a free agent after this season. James can enter free agency via a player option. Anthony signed a five-year deal with the Knicks in 2014, and Paul’s contract with the Clippers expires in 2017.
