Why Heat Fans Should Be Happy Lebron Opted Out

Remain calm. I'm looking at you, Cleveland, but this could be biggest news in what is shaping up to be an insanely action-packed summer in the NBA. LeBron James, the world's best basketball player, has opted out of the final two years of his contract to become a free agent. It's probably nothing, but it could be EVERYTHING. But again, probably nothing.

According to my man @Chris_Broussard, LeBron James' agent Rich Paul has informed Heat that LeBron will exercise early termination option

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) June 24, 2014

Seriously. Don't get your hopes up. The odds are still that LeBron remains in Miami, and this is just the first step in the process of LeBron and his fellow Heatles signing for discount deals, once again, to afford Pat Riley the space to surround them with a supporting cast that doesn't bomb the way this year's iteration did in the Finals.

It's worth noting that the Heat would have basically no way to improve their team if LeBron, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade opted into their contracts, as those three alone were set to make over $60 million between the three of them, leaving the team essentially capped out. By opting out, they open the door to adding additional talent to increase their odds of winning over these next handful of seasons.

Now, the more interesting question is what happens with Dwyane Wade's decision to opt out, given his struggles in this year's Finals. But, Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News reported that Wade will sacrifice money to win, once more:

"Dwyane Wade is likely to opt out of his final two seasons, at $41.5 million, and probably accept a deal from the Heat worth $50 million-$55 million over four years to help the team open up cap space."

LeBron's decision to opt out is totally congruous with this reporting. As reported by Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press, Chris Bosh, immediately in the aftermath of Miami's Finals loss, stated that the Heat's Big 3 want to stay together:

"We want to stay together, man,'' Bosh said. ''I'll say that. It's a great organization, great team and great city. And to have a chance, that's all you can ask for.''

It looks like Miami's trio is likely to remain together, and LeBron's decision to opt out, far from being a sign that he's leaving, is simply a part of the process of reconstructing the Heat into a better version of the club than the one that just took an absolute butt-whuppin' from the San Antonio Spurs. Miami needs to be better, and so they are working toward that end.

That is unless you believe ESPN's Brian Windhorst's report that LeBron was mad at Micky Arison for cheaping out on this season's title run. If that was a sign of a larger fissure between the Heat brass and its best player, then all hell could break loose.

Just don't bet on it.