MIAMI — Tuesday's news that LeBron James was exercising the early termination option in his contract was not a surprise.
It was not a surprise to reporters closely monitoring the situation—with the rumors trending strongly in that direction in recent days. It was not a surprise to anyone who listened intently to James' end-of-season press conference, during which he spoke of how every professional athlete prizes flexibility.
And it was not a surprise to Pat Riley, as the Miami Heat president noted in the statement that the team released shortly after noon.
"I was informed this morning of his intentions," Riley said. "We fully expected LeBron to opt-out and exercise his free agent rights, so this does not come as a surprise. As I said at the press conference last week, players have a right to free agency and when they have these opportunities, the right to explore their options."
Nor was the reaction a surprise: hysteria on the airwaves and on social media, errant assumptions about why James did it, wild predictions about where he's going.&nb ...
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Article written by Ethan Skolnick