James, Wade and Bosh can all opt out of their contracts and become free agents.
After falling to a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals on Thursday night, the outcome of this year’s championship race will not affect Miami Heat star LeBron James’ future.
According to an ESPN source, the Heat’s success or failure in these Finals will not have an impact on James’ decision on whether or not to opt out of his contract at the end of this month and become a free agent.
James and the Heat would be the first team in NBA Finals history to overcome a 3-1 deficit and come back to win the title, with this being the 32nd time that the Finals has been 3-1 after four games.
In addition, the Spurs now have two attempts to close out the series at home, starting on Sunday night in Game 5 at the AT&T Center, with many now expecting them to complete the job.
Despite averaging 27.5 points in four games, James has often been criticised when things don’t go to plan for the defending champions, but he insists that he should not shoulder all the responsibility and blame even though he doesn’t mind doing it if it helps his team-mates.
Nevertheless, with James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all able to opt out of their contracts and test free agency this summer, there had been speculation that Miami would look to restructure their new deals in order to make a move for New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony.
While that appears unlikely at this early stage, the Heat are not giving up hope of completing a miraculous turnaround, but they now know they must win three consecutive games if they are to hold on to their crown.
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