LeBron James has participated in 21 NBA seasons. He is scheduled to play for the Los Angeles Lakers in the upcoming season, where he will make $51.4 million. However, there’s a good chance James will choose to renegotiate and opt out of his contract for the upcoming campaign. To be exact, the NBA player plans to opt out, according to his agent Rich Paul.
This implies that James will have to renegotiate a new deal, and all indications are that the Los Angeles Lakers are the only team interested in signing the future Hall of Famer. But at what cost?
In a recent article, ESPN’s NBA expert Brian Windhorst raised the notion that James would accept a deal that benefits the team in order to help the Lakers become a serious contender.
For the first time in fifteen years, I wonder if LeBron James is willing to accept a pay decrease. This would make some kind of sense for a reason. In the event that D’Angelo Russell chooses to opt out of his deal and LeBron decides to forfeit a sizeable portion of his option—roughly $10 or $12 million—the Lakers may be able to take advantage of free agency and utilize their $12 million mid-level exception. I wouldn’t be shocked if LeBron waited a little while to see what kind of deal may benefit the Lakers.
Brian Windhorst on the likelihood that LeBron James would accept a lower salary with the Los Angeles Lakers
James is still performing at an All-Star level despite being 39 years old. However, he is aware that his time is limited.
However, giving up some money might help him give it one last go to win his fifth NBA Championship. Furthermore, LeBron might view the Lakers’ recent commitment to Bronny James as a bit of a counterbalance and be even more inclined to forgo some financial gain in order to support his teammates as they pursue their objectives.
Don’t get me wrong, James will probably still get a big deal—it might not be as big as $50 million for a single season. However, he will still have a lot more money in his pocket if he can sign a two-year, $85 million contract (or something comparable).
"What if LeBron James, for the first time in 15 years is willing to take a paycut?" 🤔 @WindhorstESPN predicts what the biggest surprise in NBA free agency might be 👀 pic.twitter.com/KucriYZiie
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 28, 2024
