Getty LeBron James against the Nuggets.
LeBron James has the opportunity to opt out of his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason and enter free agency.
Dan Favale of Bleacher Report predicted James, 39, would do just that and turn down $51.4 million to get a deal with a no-trade clause.
“So, why opt out and sign a new deal for less overall money? To keep pressure on the Lakers front office to make moves over the offseason? To genuinely explore his other options? To give ‘First Take’ more LeBron James content? Any of the above reasons could apply. In my head, they won’t,” Favale wrote in a June 13 story predicting offseason moves for five players. “Opting out will be all about joining the Bradley Beal club: getting a no-trade clause.”
Beal signed a deal with the Washington Wizards in 2022 that gave him the power to veto trade offers for him, essentially giving him the ability to pick his team. He agreed to a trade to the Phoenix Suns in 2023.
“Only players with at least eight years of experience who have logged four-plus seasons with their current team are eligible for no-trade clauses,” Favale wrote. “LeBron comfortably meets that criteria. And because no-trade clauses cannot be negotiated into extensions for contracts that don’t already have them, opting out and signing a new deal is the only way for him to get one.”
A No-Trade Clause Would Give LeBron James Full Control
A no-trade clause in a new deal with the Lakers would give James the option of finishing his career in LA or demanding a trade to the team of his choice.
Only 10 players in NBA history (including Beal) have had no-trade clauses written into their contracts, according to The Athletic. James got one with the Cleveland Cavaliers when he signed with them in 2016.
Only 10 NBA player contracts in NBA history have included a true no-trade clause:
◻️ David Robinson
◻️ John Stockton
◻️ Kobe Bryant
◻️ Tim Duncan
◻️ Kevin Garnett
◻️ Dirk Nowitzki
◻️ Dwayne Wade
◻️ LeBron James
◻️ Carmelo Anthony
◻️ Bradley Beal.
Will Beal’s be the last?
But The Athletic’s Tony Jones tweeted in June 2023 that he predicted “we’ve seen the last no-trade clause in NBA history.”
Mark Deeks wrote in Forbes in 2022 that “there is not usually much incentive for teams to offer such an instrument. After all, no-trade clauses do not help them.”
‘I Think Lebron’s Gonna Opt Out No Matter What’
This isn’t the first time that James has been linked to a no-trade clause this offseason. ESPN analyst Brian Windhorst said in April that he expected James to opt out of his contract because he wants security.
“I think LeBron’s gonna opt out no matter what. And the reason I think he’s gonna opt out no matter what is even if he just signs back for one year, the only functional way for LeBron to get a no-trade clause is to sign a new contract,” Windhorst said on “The Hoop Collective.”
“If he extends the contract he’s in or picks up that option, extends into it, he can’t get a no-trade clause. And I think for a number of different reasons, LeBron would like, ask for and probably be granted a no-trade clause.”
There were rumors during the trade deadline about the Lakers trading James as the Golden State Warriors had an interest in the all-time great, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. If the Lakers wanted to trade James to any team during the deadline, they could’ve. If he gets a no-trade clause, they would lose that power.
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Lakers’ LeBron James Predicted to Decline Player Option for No-Trade Clause