Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 reasons LeBron James should re-sign

1. LeBron doesn’t have to go anywhere yet

Anyone who has watched LeBron James play basketball knows that he is nothing if not patient. Even in the most tense crunch-time situations, LeBron will calmly hold onto the ball, survey the scene in front of him and wait until the right moment when he is ready to make his move.

Don’t be surprised if LeBron approaches free agency the same way, even if he’s reportedly opting out of the final year of his contract.

This means he could sign a new short-term deal with Cleveland and explore free agency again in a year or two, giving a tight market plenty of time to better prepare to build around him. Even if LeBron sees himself finishing his career elsewhere, he doesn’t have to leave the Cavs right now.

There are a lot of moving parts around the NBA in what will be a hectic 2018 offseason.

A patient, calculating LeBron may decide to stay in Cleveland for now while keeping an eye on how things develop with the likes of Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, DeMarcus Cousins, Klay Thompson, Kemba Walker and DeAndre Jordan — stars who could change teams via trade or free agency between now and next summer.

LeBron may want to see where his friends Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony land to make their end-of-career runs before he chooses his next destination. He may want to see how the young Lakers, Sixers and Heat look one year from now. He may want to see if the Warriors remain intact as we know them one year from now.

LeBron is heading into his 16th NBA season and he’ll turn 34 years old before the calendar turns to 2019, but he’s still playing like he’s in his prime. He’s also talked publicly about the possibility of playing in the NBA alongside his oldest son, LeBron Jr., who is 13 years old. He seems like a man who knows he has a lot of basketball left in him.

Maybe LeBron thinks he can wait out the Warriors dynasty. Maybe he wants to give the Cavs at least one more year to get things right. Maybe he wants to see where things fall into place around the league before making his move.

Next: LeBron James: 5 potential landing spots in free agency

Maybe we’re going to be doing this all over again in 2019.