LeBron James could potentially leave the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency in the upcoming offseason, and the team seems determined to pull out all the stops to ensure he stays. As per The Athletic, the Lakers are open to giving James whatever deal he wants, even the max.
“The Lakers, team sources say, would be open to discussing any deal that involves James coming back — including even the maximum three-year, $164 million extension they can offer.”
The 39-year-old James would be 42 when that deal ends. Normally, it would be seen as a crazy move to give someone this old a three-year max deal, but LeBron has always been an exception to the norm.
James averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game in the 2023-24 campaign, which was his 21st in the league. Prior to this, no player in NBA history had even averaged 10.0 PPG in their 21st season.
While James would not be putting up these kinds of numbers in his 24th season, there is little reason to believe, injuries aside, that he wouldn’t be contributing at a fairly high level even at that stage. That might seem outrageous to some, but who would have thought five years ago that LeBron would be this good in 2024?
I wouldn’t knock the Lakers for giving him that kind of a deal, but if you’re LeBron, should you want it? Wanting to win more championships is a big reason why he is still playing, and if he takes a bit of a discount, it would help the Lakers build a better team around him. The 20-time All-Star has not shown a willingness to take pay cuts over the last 10 years or so, however.
The other big reason why LeBron is still playing, of course, is his son, Bronny James. The four-time MVP has expressed multiple times that he would like to play with Bronny, who has declared for the 2024 NBA Draft, and as per this report, the Lakers are open to selecting him as well.
“What’s more, team sources say the Lakers are very open to the prospect of helping LeBron fulfill his dream of playing with his son Bronny by potentially drafting him.”
There remain doubts as to just how good a player Bronny can be in the NBA, but this pick really would be mostly about appeasing LeBron, rather than them having great belief in his son. It does make sense that the Lakers would be willing to go to great lengths for LeBron, as they are not going to even come close to competing for championships if he leaves in the offseason.
LeBron James Was Not Interested In Talking About His Future
As for what LeBron had to say about his future, well, he didn’t want to say much. After the Denver Nuggets knocked him out of the playoffs, he was asked if this was going to be his final season in LA and James declined to comment on his future with the Lakers.
LeBron also stated he just wants to return to his family after the first-round elimination. He is holding his cards close to his chest as of now. James has a player option worth $51.4 million for 2024-25 and I expect him to decline that at some point this offseason. He would then be free to go wherever he wants, but I think he will stay with the Lakers.
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