Getty LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Lakers star LeBron James has until June 29 to exercise his $51 million Player Option for the 2024-25 season. If James declines the option, he will become a free agent for the first time since 2018.
While most insiders expect James to re-sign with the Lakers, there are no guarantees in the modern-day NBA landscape. Rich Paul, the agent of James, dropped some hints about his client’s future during his appearance on truTV’s NBA Western Conference Finals simulcast on Saturday, May 24.
“Look, LeBron is a free agent,” Paul said when asked about the Lakers’ coaching search. “I gotta focus on his business, and let the Lakers hire whoever they hire [as head coach]. He’s always shown up and played for whatever coach is there.”
When asked to confirm if James would decline his Player Option to enter free agency, Paul said, “I don’t know what he’s gonna do. We’re gonna do what we do every year. We’re gonna evaluate the situation and we’re gonna make the best decision.”
Rich Paul just announced LeBron is a free agent 🧐 (via @LegionHoops)
Typically, several star players decline a Player Option just to sign a long-term extension. As such, James declining his Player Option wouldn’t necessarily mean his departure from Los Angeles. According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, James is expected to play “up to two more seasons” before calling time on his illustrious career. Many insiders expect James’ next contract to be his final one.
Will LeBron James Remain with the Lakers?
Former Heat player Udonis Haslem, who spent four years with James in Miami, does not expect his former teammate to leave Los Angeles, especially at the tail end of his career.
“He’s got one of the best business minds I’ve ever been around. He’s very calculated,” Haslem said of James on the May 27 episode of “Get Up” on ESPN. “With that being said, you’ve got a better chance of fighting an alligator than to get ‘Bron out of L.A. He ain’t going nowhere… This is a business decision. He’s going back to L.A. He has an opportunity to opt-out and get more money from that new TV deal coming in.”
Haslem added that Los Angeles presents James with the perfect blend of “business and basketball” and allows him to maximize his opportunities both on and off the court.
“He has all these things going on outside of basketball,” Haslem said of his former teammate. “The best place to do that is L.A.”
Will LeBron James Agree to a Pay Cut?
Could the 39-year-old James agree to a pay cut to give his franchise more financial flexibility to build a championship roster? Others such as Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki did exactly that in the waning years of their Hall of Fame careers.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst — who has covered James since his early years in high school — does not expect the Ohio native to leave any money on the table even in year 22.
“I do think LeBron James will prioritize getting then max contract,” Windhorst said on the May 27 episode of “Get Up” on ESPN.”
Windhorst added that the Lakers could conceive a plan where James taking a pay cut “could materially change their situation.”
“I think he’d be open to listening to it,” Windhorst said of James.
The Lakers could potentially offer James a three-year, max extension worth $164 million, per a report from The Athletic on April 29. The third year of the contract could have a Player Option, giving James the flexibility to retire on his own terms.