Earlier this offseason, James Harden took a pay cut in order to stay with the Philadelphia 76ers and pursue a championship this coming season.
According to recent reports from NBA insider Marc Stein, Pat Riley proposed a similar plan to LeBron James before the 2014-15 season.
The Miami Heat president reportedly met with LeBron and asked him to accept a pay cut instead of leaving to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers. James, who had not yet received max money at this point in his career, refused the offer.
Instead of taking Riley’s offer, he signed a two-year, $42.1 million deal with the Cavaliers.
LeBron helped the Heat organization to two NBA titles during his four-year stint in Miami — but the all-time great hooper didn’t need the Heat to win another ring. In his second year back with the Cavaliers, he finally brought a championship to Cleveland.
The NBA world could be a completely different place if LeBron accepted this reported deal from Riley.