With the 2025-26 season coming to an end for the Los Angeles Lakers, questions about LeBron James‘ future with the franchise will become a major talking point heading into the offseason. While several avenues may present themselves in free agency, doubts about his next contract beg to be addressed.
Reports indicate that most title-contending teams, including the Lakers, may only be interested in LeBron James next season if he is willing to sign a veteran minimum deal. At 41, this seems justified. However, during a recent appearance on “Gil’s Arena,” Skip Bayless boldly claimed that James should have taken the vet minimum deal back in 2018 when he first joined L.A.
While attempting to justify his statement, Bayless shared:
“I’m looking at the money he’s made as a Laker. It’s $347 million, and it just goes up. I’m looking at them – 36, 37, 39, 41, 44, 48, 49, 53 million dollars this year. It’s a lot of money, and he is the ultimate box office, Hollywood as you can get. I gotcha.”
When he first joined the Lakers in 2018, LeBron James signed a four-year, $153.3 million deal. In 2021, at age 36, he signed a two-year, $85.7 million contract. Then, in 2023, he signed another two-year, $99 million deal, and finally, in 2024, after rejecting his player option, he signed his latest two-year, $101.3 million contract.
With his final contract coming to an end, the Lakers will have a lot to think about. On that note, Bayless chose to highlight the team’s playoff record since LeBron James’ arrival.
“He gave you an overall playoff record; in fact, it’s over now, of 32 and 31 in his eight years,” Bayless continued. “Since that Mickey Mouse championship they won in the bubble, 16-26 is LeBron’s playoff record since the bubble. 16-26, which is the worst playoff winning percentage in all of basketball since the bubble 2020.”
When LeBron James joined the Lakers ahead of the 2018-19 season, he was coming off a Finals run with the Cavaliers and was only 33 at the time. Although he missed the playoffs in his first season with the Lakers, in his second, he and Anthony Davis took the Purple and Gold all the way to the title.
Although many, including Bayless, put an asterisk on the 2020 NBA championship, others argue it was one of the toughest ones to win. Still, considering how the Lakers have fared in the playoffs since, it is difficult to argue with Bayless’ point about the team’s playoff record.
Skip Bayless Suggests LeBron James Will Remain In L.A.
Aside from all the criticism about his performances in the playoffs and his contracts, Skip Bayless did give LeBron James credit for his heroics in the playoffs this year, albeit roasting him for missing the clutch layup in Game 4 against the Thunder.
While praising the 41-year-old’s ability to contribute to winning, Bayless added:
“The point is, would you want him back in that role if he would take the veteran minimum? Yeah, I would. I do believe they have him by the eyeballs right now because he’s born to play in L.A. His whole second career is going to be in Hollywood, and now, we know the golf bug. The golf bug bit him bad.”
As of late, LeBron James seems more taken with golf than ever before in his career. Given how many NBA players and athletes have gravitated toward the sport, Bayless believes that his growing passion for golf, along with his desire to remain in a tropical environment, may convince James to stay in Los Angeles.
While reiterating the notion of James accepting a team-friendly deal, Bayless pointed to Tim Duncan‘s decision to take a pay cut in the later years of his career to help San Antonio boost their bench.
“Go look at Tim’s last five years as a Spur,” Bayless stated. “He’s taken chicken feed from the Spurs because he wanted a bench. Did he not have a bench against LeBron and the Heat, especially in 2014?… Go look at what the Spurs bench did to the Heat in a five-game series that they won by a record Finals margin, because Patty Mills and company are coming in off the bench just raining threes because they go 12-deep. The Thunder go 15-deep.”
As Bayless mentioned, roster depth and bench strength have always been deciding factors in the playoffs, especially the NBA Finals. Considering that even James acknowledged this fact earlier in the season, it goes without saying that the Lakers will need all the flexibility they can get to build a title-contending roster this summer.
This season, LeBron James averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game, a noteworthy feat for a 41-year-old. Still, considering L.A.’s need to retain cap flexibility in the summer, offering him a sizable contract would be unwise.
During his exit interview, Lakers head coach JJ Redick admitted that the Lakers did not have enough to compete for a title this year. Hence, even if James chooses to return to L.A. for the 2026-27 season, a veteran minimum deal may be the only way to maximize the team’s chances of winning.
