And just like that, the 2014 free agency landscape was flipped on its head. With the news this morning that LeBron James will opt out of his contract with the Miami Heat and become an unrestricted free agent this summer, NBA general managers may already be lining up in the streets to make their sales pitch. Have you ever driven to a used auto dealership looking for a new car and seen the dealers eyeing you and following your car up and down the rows just in case you decide to get out and enlist their help?
That’s what this summer is going to be like for LeBron James, only if those salesmen started banging on the doors and windows trying to pry him from the vehicle.
It’s still entirely possible LeBron James isn’t going anywhere and merely making a move that could allow the Heat to retool their roster for another championship run. But it’s also possible LeBron is ready to move on and put himself in a better position to win more titles. With so many teams interested in his services (and because speculating is just so much damn fun) here are LeBron’s most prominent free agency destinations, in no particular order.