4:18pm: Confirming James’ opt-out decision, agent Rich Paul tells Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link) that the star forward is open to discussing a deal worth less than the max if it means adding another impact player.
“He is prioritizing a roster improvement,” Paul said of James. “He’s been adamant about exuding all efforts to improve the roster.”
11:16am: Lakers superstar LeBron James is declining his $51.4MM player option for the 2024/25 season, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania (Twitter link).
While the move will technically make James a free agent, the expectation is that he’ll return to the Lakers on a new deal, Charania reports. Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press confirms that LeBron plans to seek a new agreement with Los Angeles.
This was the expected move, as we previously relayed. As cap expert Yossi Gozlan observes (Twitter link), James can re-sign with the Lakers for a maximum of $162MM over three years, which would take him through his age-42 season. Additionally, he’s eligible for a no-trade clause.
The Lakers’ team salary would be in first-apron territory if they bring James back at the max. However, he may be willing to be flexible.
Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) says the four-time MVP would be open to accepting a lower salary to help the club access the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($12.9MM) if there’s a target that makes sense. Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link) explores what that math might look like.
The Lakers selected LeBron’s son, Bronny James, with the No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 draft on Thursday. Re-signing with the Lakers would allow for the elder James to play next to his son, something he’s expressed interest in doing in the past.
LeBron has maintained a high level of play even through his age-39 season, averaging 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists while shooting 54.0% from the field and 41.0% from three in 71 games last season. His 71 games played last year represented his highest regular season total since 2017/18 with Cleveland, and LeBron helped push the Lakers to the playoffs, where they fell in five games to the Nuggets.
While the Lakers lost in the first round, they were competitive against the reigning champs, having been outscored by 11 points in the series. With new coach J.J. Redick on board, Los Angeles seems poised to build on its core heading into next year.
LeBron’s spent the last six seasons of his career with Los Angeles, winning a ring in ’19/20 and passing several milestones while donning the purple-and-gold, including becoming the NBA’s all-time leader in points scored.
Would be hilarious if Lakers are like “nah we’re good”
KING JAMES humbled?
It would be terrifc
I think it would be even funnier if he said, “I was gonna stay until you drafted my kid…”
Now that they have Bronny, who needs Pops?
Would love to see that.
Yes would like that. I like Lebron but sick of the older players making the massive contracts. Wonder if the Lakers could do better if the Lakers could use the cap space and come up with a better team.
Lakers need to acquire Lauri
Center piece: Friendship
Rui and 3 Firsts
What?
What is confusing about “Center piece: Friendship”? hahaha.
No chance lakers are getting him.
This is the quintessential Sillivan post
An artist at work. A la Picasso
This comment is When AI Goes Bad
You gotta respect his perseverance, business acumen, longevity. Simply amazing. He will dictate how he will go out with dignity and then onto ownership. Kudos.
Or more like selfishness between him and his best friend/“agent” to basically force his son to play with him instead of letting him decide to stay in school longer or play elsewhere
Yeah it’s insane how Lebron held his adult son at gunpoint and forced him to make all of these personal decisions.
Well it probably wasn’t Bronny’s idea to tell teams: don’t draft him or he’s going to go play in Australia. Cause that’s a pretty stupid business decision that certainly rubs other clubs the wrong way.
It is amazing he has been able to avoid any major injuries. He had some recently but still able to get his. I don’t see the Lakers winning anything, AD is just not a top dog to take them there.
Problem isn’t AD, it’s the bad roster outside of LBJ/AD/Reaves
AD who just had his most healthy season in years, made All NBA 2nd team, 1st team all defense, 4th in DPOY, had the 2nd best FG% of his entire career (only lower than the previous year), and the highest rebound numbers of his career isn’t a top dog? Did you watch the Lakers? You thought AD was the problem with that team? Really?
He can get all the stats he wants but in the end he isn’t a leader take over when it matters guy. Not building a team around him.
If Brawny Sensation signs a new deal for 3 years – as is being rumored – isn’t it hard to believe (and kinda sad) to contemplate: AD will essentially play the entirety of his prime years in Brawny’s shadow. Sure, he’ll have made more money than he can spend during his Laker tenure. But is it possible that as DOMINANT a player as AD has proven himself to be when healthy – arguably the best two-way big of his generation – all he may very well have to show for his 6-8 PRIME years of being an admirable sidekick to Brawny’s “throne” is one SINGLE summer league bubble tournament title??? The Lakers shoulda been YOUR team by now, AD. It’s even tough for a non-Lakers fan to accept that such a talent as you, AD, will merely be a FOOTNOTE in the long, glorious history of the NBA.
So, three more years of providing residence for Mr. James without a championship. And family, now, too.
Lakers have a banner because of LeBron. that’s a lot better than the 6 years at the abyss before he got there
I think you mean banner***. You forgot all the asterisks attached to that not a championship.
There are no asterisks attached to championships. Only the ones you don’t want the team to have won will people do that.
Agree with the one exception of 2017-8 warriors rings. Unprecedented situation that will likely never reoccur: a 73-win team already with the 2nd best player basically keeping its whole roster intact, and replacing a role player with the third best player. Still insane when you think about it.
ben, 9 guys left from the previous year. Only 5 players stayed for Durant to join that “73 win team.”
Get your facts straight. You should know better than to listen to the media lol.
Why are there *** all teams played by the same rules and one team came out on top… the Lakers
Some players didn’t return. Just wasn’t the same.
At best nfl nba mlb nhl 2020 trophies are participation trophies.
Special rules created
Rules didn’t affect all teams equally
Arbitrary enforcement of the rules based on circumstances outside control of team and/or player(s)
So many abnormalities about 2020 seasons to claim they hold the same weight as any other regular season is far fetched.
The testicular fortitude of one (Mrs.?) Rob Pelinka will be secured and etched in stone if Lakers bring back Brawny Sensation for more than one season.
If he was a team player he would take the vet minimum as a solid to the organization for drafting his kid who doesn’t actually have NBA talent.
You know he can’t take the minimum the PA will not allow that. You don’t kill the market for future players. He can take slightly less but I don’t get why you let a billion dollar organization slide. It also does not help cap anyways.
Also what does he gain by taking the minimum? All the people on these threads that say if we was “team player” he would take the minimum are also the people that have the draft saved saying he’s stacking the deck in his favor and Jordan would have never done that to stack his team blah blah blah. No other superstar in history is treated like winning isn’t their first priority when they make max money at the end of their career but because people hate lebron we have these stupid conversations.
These braindead people think Kobe was a god but want Lebron to sign on the MLE. It’s unbelievable. These people just started watching the NBA and its very obvious.
That’s not it at all. Was only reading yesterday Bron would need to take $12 mil less max per for L.A to have access to the full MLE. Nobody has stated bron should sign via MLE. James will go the greedy route, wait and see. Bron will never be respected or revered like kobe either.
lol Lebron will go the greedy route? What was Kobe doing when he was making the max averaging 17 points on 35% from the field. Lebron is still a max caliber player and is greedy for getting it but Kobe was a MLE player and he deserved the max? You want to love Kobe over Bron fine, but the facts are lebron is a far and away better player at this point in his career than Kobe was at the end of his.
Nrg82 – go kiss your bron poster
Why does giving more money to billionaires owners who wanted the salary cap in the first place make him a team player?
And why do you think you know more than hundreds of scouts across the league that all placed LeBrons son in the draft?
Scouts said he wasn’t ready and wasn’t an NBA caliber player, it would get drafted because of his dad.
No, they didn’t. Most projections had him as a first round pick and possibly in the lottery before the cardiac incident. He could’ve just taken the season off like a lot of prospects do after an injury and been a first round pick as long as he passed physicals.
From the scouting report after his try outs his value went way down. He is too small for other positions than a PG. He doesn’t have the handle to be a PG. Needs to develop a better shooting style. Can’t go to his right. He has raw talent but no where close to NBA ready. should have stayed in school. Hopefully Lakers puts him in the G league all year and not a bench player for garbage minutes.
The Lakers should offer him the minimum. They have him against the ropes for the first time.
They don’t have him against the ropes. He brings in more money in a season than any player in the league and far less then he’ll make. In 2017 before he became a Laker team analysts estimated that signing him would generate $65 million in revenue per season, the league has grown significantly since then.
In the wake of his announcement, Lakers season tickets, which were selling for $3,499 each, skyrocketed to $5,800 just 20 minutes after the announcement.
Right after he announced his return to Cleveland in 2014, Cavaliers’ ticket sales spiked by more than 100 times, jumping from $25 to $386. Season tickets sold out within hours, and according to a Cleveland.com report, his return to Ohio resulted in a nine-figure economic boost for downtown Cleveland.
I get revenue but you’re forgetting salary caps. But hey this isn’t a sport, it’s a business. Lakers have money and no dignity.
This notion that taking the vet minimum or around that would signal he’s a team player is just absurd. Would any of us take less money at work so we could have a personal assistant make us more productive for our companies? Team players are not defined by their income, in any industry.
Is this really the conversation about Bron and his contract. No ballers here
Why make $51.4 million in your age 40 season when you could make $54 million per year through your age 42 season? I mean, I guess the answer would be because you want your son to win, or you want the franchise to be able to add meaningful pieces during what is likely to be a decline in production, but sure. The LeBron Lakers have to be one of the stupidest sports soap operas ever. But hey, they won a championship in 2020 and will probably win a couple of play-in games over the next 2-3 years so I guess it’s all good.
Go sign in China
LeBron isn’t taking the league minimum but I find this interesting.
Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report says the four-time MVP would be open to accepting a lower salary to help the club access the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($12.9MM) if there’s a target that makes sense. If you read Keith Smith’s breakdown that would mean a salary in the range of $33 million.
Interestingly The Mavs are reported to make an offer of the full MLE to Derrick Jones Jr who just happened to sign with Klutch yesterday.
Even though he’s a billionaire or at least close to it, I can’t imagine turning down over 50 million dollars
I can see it. It’s California salary so taxed pretty heavily. He makes quite a bit from his other stuff such as endorsements and other businesses. He’s a smart guy. Cutting 20 million from his salary as a basketball player to help the team is something several Superstars have done in other sports especially football. I don’t think it’s a big hit for him and benefits the team in a great way.
Lakers are so screwed. I love that they are rearranging the same team, oh sorry with Bronny, and that some how means its NOW a championship level team.
Lakers are so screwed.
Again, Ill bite though… who is this magical $12.5 million exception player that will be able to come in and make the Lakers a championship level team?
Yes true that’s the thing. Who are these guys that are available? My Warriors are looking for one or two of them as well.
It’s amazing both the Warriors and the Lakers missed out on Murray from the hawks. Cost fairly reasonable.
See i thought Murray was their target too, but NO swooped in.
I am looking at the FAs and I cannot find a guy who will be that impactful for 12 million or so.
Unfortunately for non Lebron fans like me he is worth every penny. He gets to choose his salary as he should. He is worth more to the NBA each year than 100million. But as he goes longer without winning his legacy will take the hit. Would you take $30 million and go contend or $160 million to lose in LA.? I wouldn’t hate on either choice.
As for his kid I am in the slim majority who think Bronny will be a solid player for a long time. Dennis smith Jr./Kris Dunn/Avery Bradley type of player. And every father would do anything they could to get that dream scenario. Hate/Love all you want to the player but as a father Lebron does not get enough credit.
Love the fact he’s willing to take less money in order to improve the roster. I guess it’s his way of acknowledging the fact if he wants to stay in LA, and wants any chance of being successful, the only way the team gets better is if he takes less and they bring in more help.
They need to stay active on the trad embarked and not just rely on winning in FA.
The dream move would be Dlo, Rui and a first for Anfernee Simons and Rob Williams
Follow that up by getting CP3, Jae Crowder and idk whoever else you want.
Simons Reaves Bron AD Williams
CP3 Knecht Crowder Vando Wood
Bronny Lewis Hayes
Why would Portland trade Simons… and I always read that Houston wants the Time Lord bc Ime loves him. As a Celtic fan i can tell you that Rob Will II is a fantastic player, but he is hurt ALL THE TIME.
LOL Bronny is on the bench. OMG that is hilarious. Lakers are just gonna keep lying to themselves. If I am Dalton Knecht’s agent I am asking for EVERYTHING and if I dont get it, well good luck with Bronny as your 8th man.
Lakers absolutely screwed themselves. It’s so funny to watch. Usually, you dont get that kind of hilarious mismanagement unless the Sixers are involved, but the Lakers have out done themselves. But hey GREAT PR, Lakers. Too bad PR companies do not play in NBA games.