With the summer of 2013 on its way out the door, not many people are thinking about the summer of 2014; LeBron James can be added to that list of people. James, who may opt out of his contract to become a free agent in 2014, recently said he had "no idea" about what will happen if and when he hits the market in 2014.
"I would love to spend the rest of my career in Miami with this great team and great organization as we continue to compete for championships," James told ESPN. "That's ideal. But we don't know what may happen from now to the end of the season. That's the nature of the business. It's the nature of not knowing what tomorrow brings."
James will instead turn his focus to the 2013-14 NBA season where Miami will be in hot pursuit of its third straight NBA title. The Heat's preseason schedule tips off Oct. 7 at home against the Atlanta Hawks and the team's regular-season opener is slated for Oct. 29 when Miami takes on the Chicago Bulls at home.
Whether or not James remains on the team when the 2013-14 campaign expires remains to be seen, and for now the reigning MVP isn't sure what the future holds.
"I mean, as a kid, I never thought the Bulls would break up. Never," he told ESPN. "If you'd have told me as a kid that [Michael] Jordan and [Scottie] Pippen wouldn't play together for the rest of their lives, I'd have looked at you crazy. And Phil Jackson wouldn't be the coach? I'd have looked at you crazy. But sometimes the nature of the business doesn't allow things to happen like you would want them to. But we'll see."
ESPN reports that James could choose to opt out of his contract and head a crop of free agents that could include the New York Knicks' Carmelo Anthony, The Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant, and James' teammates Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade.
According to ESPN, the Cleveland Cavaliers, who James left during the infamous airing of "The Decision" in 2010, could be the favorites to land the Akron, Ohio native, while the Lakers could be a long-shot.
James knows that he'll be asked about his impending free agency every time he steps into an opposing arena this season, but he's hoping to keep his mind off of it and not have to talk about it.
"I owe it to myself, I owe it my teammates and I owe it to the Miami Heat to stay focused," James told ESPN. "As a leader, I'm not even going to let that side of the business get me unfocused on what I'm trying to do and that's trying to win another championship."
Miami was an impressive 66-16 last season, notching the No.1 seed in the Eastern Conference en route to defeating the Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs on its way to clinching the team's second consecutive NBA title.
James had 2,036 points last season to go along with 5,302 assists and 5,553 rebounds. He averaged 26.8 points-per-game, 7.3 assists-per-game and 8.0 total rebounds-per-game.
James, who won his fourth Most Valuable Player award in five years last season, is a two-time NBA champion, nine-time All-Star and two-time NBA Finals MVP. If he hits the free agent market, it is without question that he'll generate many suitors.
So it seems James awaits another decision.
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