Even if they offered $10 million to $15 million more …

Even if they offered $10 million to $15 million more than any other team, James could still see their offer as a pay cut if another team was offering the most it was allowed to offer him, one team source explained. It was the curse of incumbency. How could they present that to James without him taking it as a sign of disrespect? For weeks they held internal discussions on the matter. Still, despite their deliberations, James saw through it. Like he has so often done on the court, he read the play before it happened. He broke up with the Lakers before they could break up with him.