James, will have two options if he were to opt out of his $24 million contract: sign a one-year contract with Cleveland or another team with a focus on 2017-18 or sign a four-year max contract with Cleveland or another team. Signing the one-year contract would see James fall short of the $30 million max salary slot because non-Bird rights would need to be used. Although James qualifies for early Bird rights, rules state that a player must sign for a minimum of two years (not including options) to take advantage of the exception.