James took to his Instagram page to reveal that he will wear No. 23 in the upcoming season. The reason James chose to return to No. 23, which he previously said should be retired league-wide, served as a nod to his former Miami Heat “family.” 

In the post, James said, “23 it is! It’s only right I go back. 2*3=6. We still family 6. #HomeTeam #StriveForGreatness”

MILLSAP FILLS IN

With Kevin Love, Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge backing out of Team USA obligations, an interjection was needed at power forward. 

USA Basketball has responded by adding Hawks forward Paul Millsap, who is coming off one of the best seasons of his eight-year career, as ESPN.com Marc Stein reports. Millsap averaged 17.9 points and 8.5 rebounds in leading the Hawks to a playoff appearance and near defeat of the Indiana Pacers.

Millsap’s addition brings the roster back to 19, which will be taken down to a 12-man roster before the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain on Aug. 30. Other big men on the roster include DeMarcus Cousins, Andre Drummond and Kenneth Faried. Each player has a new opportunity to make the final roster with Griffin and Love out. 

Aldridge, Griffin and Love were all announced as unavailable for separate reasons, with each player citing a certain level of focus on their NBA team. Aldridge and Griffin decided they needed more rest headed into training camp in October, while Love confessed that he needed to focus on an uncertain standing with the Wolves. 

Millsap will be the final addition to the roster, USA Basketball director Jerry Colangelo told ESPN.com. 

“You can’t just sit around and cry in your beer regarding who you don’t have,” Colangelo said. “You look at what you do have, and you say, ‘We’re going to get the job done.’ We feel very confident about our opportunity. We’re ready for it.”

BLEDSOE BUILDUP

Eric Bledsoe is one of the NBA’s bright young stars at point guard, yet he remains unsigned, stuck in a sort of limbo. 

As Bledsoe recognized, restricted free agency and the Suns’ approach to it played a part in that. There was a league-wide belief that the Suns would match any deal offered to Bledsoe, which called off other suitors before free agency even started. 

“First off I’m going to let my agent handle it,” Bledsoe told WTVM of Birmingham, Ala. “I can understand the Phoenix Suns are using a restricted free agent against me. But I understand that.”

The Suns have made an offer to Bledsoe of four-year, $48 million, but both sides remain far apart. 

The tricky part of restricted free agency comes when the alternate option for players is considered. A player can sign the one-year qualifying offer and become an unrestricted free agent the following summer. For Bledsoe, the qualifying offer is $3.7 million. 

LOVE OUTLOOK

Timberwolves forward Kevin Love was expected to opt into his contract upon being traded to another franchise, whether he landed with the Cavaliers or Bulls. 

Love could prefer not to pick up his option, however. He would like to play out the final year of his contract as is and hit the free-agency market after a successful season alongside LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. 

The Cavaliers are aware of Love’s wishes and realize they might have to take Love on for one season and try to sign him to a max contract in 2015. This could be a sticking point in the talks, as Cleveland and Minnesota have not talked in a week, according to Pluto. 

While this sounds good and well, it would be a large gamble for Cleveland to trade the No. 1 pick — which almost never happens — without a guarantee from Love. If Love is not willing to make a commitment, it’s hard to believe they would jeopardize James’ prime years on a gamble. 

Contributor: DeAntae Prince