LeBron James is approaching a deadline that may be little more than a starting line.

Not just for him [url=http://www.billscheapstore.com/jeremy-kerley-jersey-cheap]Jeremy Kerley Jersey Bills[/url] , but for free agency around the league.

The NBA’s most impactful player has until 11:59 p.m. Friday to decide what to do with a $35.6 million contract option for next season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. If he declines the option, which is what’s expected to happen, James will become an unrestricted free agent and another Summer of LeBron will heat up instantly with the Los Angeles Lakers becoming a possible destination.

Cleveland, too, would still be in the mix as James could sign a short-term deal with the Cavs. He has done that each season since returning in 2014.

If James exercises or picks up his option, the three-time champion would be under contract next season with the Cavs, but that would not preclude the Eastern Conference champions from trading him to acquire assets to build for the future.

As of late Thursday afternoon, James had not informed the Cavs of his plans while reports about his future filled Twitter timelines and talk radio programs.

The real games haven’t begun.

James, who has kept a low profile on social media for months, has been on vacation with his wife and three children, giving him a chance to recover from perhaps the most exhausting season of his career and plot the next chapter.

The 33-year-old has long been linked to the Lakers [url=http://www.thebroncosfootballauthentic.com/courtland-sutton-jersey-authentic]Youth Courtland Sutton Jersey[/url] , partly because he has two homes in the Los Angeles area along with a film production company. There’s also the fact that the Lakers have enough salary-cap space to sign James and another maximum-contract player like Kawhi Leonard or Paul George and form a ”Super Team” capable of competing with the reigning champion Golden State Warriors.

The first major free-agent domino fell Thursday as George decided not to exercise his $20.7 million option for next season with Oklahoma City, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. ESPN first reported George’s decision.

For now, George is set to hit the market when free agency officially begins at 12:01 a.m. Sunday, but he may not go anywhere. The Thunder can offer him more money and George could get a five-year, $176 million and stay in Oklahoma.

It’s unclear what affect, if any, George’s decision has had on James and his plans. The two are good friends and there’s little doubt they would relish the opportunity to play together after competing against each other for years.

As for Leonard, there’s little clarity on his troubled relationship with San Antonio. It remains unclear if the Spurs are willing to trade him and if they are willing to part ways with him, where he would land.

For James, the dilemma is whether to leave his home again. Upon his return to Cleveland four years ago from Miami, James said it took time away to realize what he was missing.

”My relationship with Northeast Ohio is bigger than basketball [url=http://www.oaklandraidersteamonline.com/johnny-townsend-jersey]Authentic Johnny Townsend Jersey[/url] ,” he said. ”I didn’t realize that four years ago. I do now.”

James also said he always felt like he would come back to Cleveland to finish his career where it began.

But that was before the Akron native led the Cavs to four straight Finals and won Cleveland’s first professional sports title since 1964. If Decision 3.0 is to go, James feels content.

”I came back because I felt like I had some unfinished business,” he said following Game 4 of the NBA Finals. ”To be able to be a part of a championship team two years ago with the team that we had and in the fashion that we had is something I will always remember. … It ended a drought for Cleveland of 50-plus years, so I think we’ll all remember that in sports history.”

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AP Sports Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report.

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By now, the Boston Celtics have come to expect adversity.

They were barely five minutes into the season when Gordon Hayward’s gruesome ankle injury offered the first collective gasp in what would be an 82-game schedule replete with more head-shaking moments.

The most recent setback, season-ending knee surgery for Kyrie Irving, left teams in the East almost hoping for a chance to face the wounded Celtics in the first round of the playoffs.

Boston enters as the No. 2 seed. But it is certainly vulnerable opposite a seventh-seeded Bucks team with which it split four games this season. Milwaukee is led by one of the league’s budding young talents in 23-year-old Giannis Antetokounmpo.

If there is a silver lining for the Celtics it’s that they went 14-8 without Irving for the last 22 games.

”It’s forcing our group to grow up quicker than maybe some of our guys were supposed to,” forward Al Horford said. ”I think that this is a great opportunity that we have in front of us. We’ve really worked hard all year to put ourselves in this position.”

Antetokounmpo is entering his third postseason and already has turned into a marquee player. He averaged 33.5 points this season against the Celtics, more than any player. His next step is to lead the Bucks to a victory in a playoff series.

”Right now, (the) playoffs is not about stats. It’s all about winning,” Antetokounmpo said. ”It’s going to be a long road. We’re going to try to go to the end.”

Trying to slow him must be a team effort [url=http://www.ravenscheapstores.com/robert-griffin-iii-jersey-cheap]Robert Griffin III Jersey Ravens[/url] , Celtics coach Brad Stevens said.

”We’ll have to guard him with everybody on our team,” he said. ”It’s not on one person to guard Giannis. We have to throw a lot of different bodies at him.”

Some things to watch in Bucks vs. Celtics:

MANAGING EXPECTATIONS

Injuries aside, Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon expects Boston to be tough.

”It’s another level, I think we all know that,” Brogdon said. ”I think we gotta not be distracted by all the outside noise, by what people expect us to do or what another team is lacking. I think we have to go in and we have to play our game.”

FILLING IRVING’S SHOES

With Irving out, the Celtics will look to key their offense with third-year guard Terry Rozier. He’s played the best ball of his career this season, appearing in 80 games (16 starts) and averaging career highs in points (11.3), rebounds (4.7) and assists (2.9).

”I got to control the game, basically just filling what a point guard is supposed to do – filling Kyrie’s shoes as much as I can,” he said. ”Sometimes it might mean taking tough shots and making tough shots. … Do what I can to give this team and boost and put us in position to win.”

FIRST DEFENSE

The Bucks are stocked with talent. But consistent defense has been a problem. At times [url=http://www.coloradorockiesteamshop.com/authentic-antonio-senzatela-jersey]Antonio Senzatela Colorado Rockies Jersey[/url] , they’ve been blown out in the first quarter, forcing them to expend more effort to get back into the game. At worst, it turns into an outcome like the one that played out in the regular-season finale at Philadelphia, which turned into a lopsided lead for the streaking 76ers by halftime. Antetokounmpo said the team has lacked focus at times. They can’t make that mistake against the Celtics.

”I think understanding the tendencies, understanding your roles, understanding assignments, all of those things become paramount because each possession is important,” Bucks coach Joe Prunty said.

NEW GUYS

The Bucks basically have the same core back from the team that lost in the first round to Toronto last season. They add two key pieces to the mix in point guard Eric Bledsoe and forward Jabari Parker. Both players are proven scorers. Bledsoe played well down the stretch, when his 3-point shooting picked up. Parker looks back at full strength after missing the first three-plus months rehabbing the second knee injury of his career.

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AP Sports Writer Genaro Armas in Milwaukee contributed to this report.

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