LeBron James Reportedly Declines Player Option With Cavaliers, Which Is Good News for Sixers

After months of anticipation, LeBron James declined his $35.6 million player option with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday, Cleveland.com's Joe Vardon reports. He'll become a free agent Sunday at midnight.

James had until Friday at 11:59 p.m. to opt out of his contract. He still could ultimately re-sign with the Cavaliers in free agency.

This time around, James reportedly does not want any big pitches in free agency (see story). However, Kawhi Leonard has reportedly made his own personal pitch for why James should play with him (see story).

The Lakers are the current favorites to land James. The Sixers have the fourth-best odds, at 10/1.

One implication of James opting out is that it likely removes Houston as a possible destination. The Rockets' most feasible path to acquiring James was through a trade, as the team would have to free up substantial cap space to sign him in free agency. 

From a Sixers perspective, this is a positive development. Because the Sixers and Lakers are the only teams vying for James with the cap room to sign him outright, they're in a much better position with teams such as the Rockets effectively eliminated from the sweepstakes. 

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Interim GM Brett Brown has said the Sixers are "star hunting," and there's obviously no bigger star in basketball than James. After James, Paul George is the highest-profile free agent. 

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