LeBron James is headed back to free agency.
James has been on the open market three times in his career. There was “The Decision” in 2010 that saw him pull off a sign-and-trade with the Cavaliers and depart for the Heat. He then returned to the Cavaliers in the 2014 offseason after winning a pair of titles in Miami. After bringing a title to Cleveland, he left in 2018 to sign with the Lakers.
The superstar, heralded by many as the greatest basketball player of all time, will be available to all 30 teams again once he opts out of the last years of his contract with Los Angeles, which is expected. He has a player option for just north of $51 million for next season, but will likely to leave the deal and test free-agency waters for a fourth time.
James will turn 40 in December, but that doesn’t mean the market will be cooling on him. By all accounts, the legendary player remains the most marketable star in the game and he continues to play at a high level, having averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists over the past season, all right along his career averages in each department.
Where will the four-time MVP go in free agency? Here’s what you need to know.
MORE: 4 reasons why father-son duo can work with the Lakers
LeBron James free-agency tracker
James opting-out of Lakers deal
James will opt-out of his contract with the Lakers, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, declining his $51.4 million player option.
This comes as no surprise, even with a return to the Lakers expected after the franchise’s selection of Bronny James. Charania reports the expectation is James will sign a new deal with the Lakers, giving him more long-term security and likely a bigger payday.
James will be able to negotiate with other teams, if he wishes, after 6 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Will LeBron James take a paycut?
- Date: June 28
- Source: Brian Windhorst, ESPN
LeBron James has a player option for next season that requires a decision soon. Brian Windhorst introduced the idea of the future Hall of Famer opting out and taking a paycut.
“What if LeBron James, for the first time in 15 years is willing to take a paycut,” Windhorst said on NBA Today. “That’s right. It’s all warm and fuzzy right now that they drafted Bronny.”
“What if LeBron James, for the first time in 15 years is willing to take a paycut?” 🤔 @WindhorstESPN predicts what the biggest surprise in NBA free agency might be 👀 pic.twitter.com/KucriYZiie
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 28, 2024
Windhorst said if D’Angelo Russell opts out of his contract and James takes about $10-12 million less, the Lakers could be players in free agency. If Russell opts in, Los Angeles could trade the former No. 2 overall pick and still have some cap flexibility with James’ paycut.
Lakers select Bronny James with No. 55 pick
- Date: June 27
Expectations that James will re-sign with the Lakers became stronger Thursday when the franchise selected his son, Bronny James, with the No. 55 overall pick in the NBA Draft.
While James and agent Rich Paul haven’t indicated the selection makes the 39-year-old more likely to return, James has said over the last handful of years that his ultimate goal was to play alongside his son. Even if Bronny doesn’t receive regular minutes with the Lakers, that goal is now easily within reach.
James also raised eyebrows by taking to Instagram to post a photoshopped image of Bronny wearing a Lakers jersey next to himself wearing a Lakers jersey. Most fans interpreted that as the strongest sign yet that he’s planning to return and suit up alongside his son.
Between selecting James’ son and hiring his former podcast co-host as their head coach, the Lakers appear to have set themselves up for at least one more run with the all-time NBA great.
Lakers committed to re-signing James
The Lakers already hired JJ Redick, a coach many believe to be James’ choice to run the team. And it looks like their efforts will go beyond just picking the right coach.
ESPN reported Los Angeles is “committed to re-signing” James, and that the team would be prepared to offer the maximum three-year deal for James, a contract that would be over $160 million in total.
Should he ink a three-year extension, James would be under contract until he is 42 years old. If he played that long, he would become only the sixth player in NBA history to play in a season at age 42 or older, according to Stathead. The other players have 54 combined starts at that age and beyond.
James expected to opt-out, re-sign with Lakers
Regardless of the moves Los Angeles could make to appease James, the expectation is that he will opt out of his contract with the Lakers. However, that doesn’t mean he would be ruling out a return with the Lakers.
In fact, the Los Angeles Times reported James is expected to re-sign with the Lakers even if he declines his player option with the team.
Though he could have simply remained in Los Angeles and accepted the player option, opting out of the contract and signing a new one with the Lakers would give him the ability to place a no-trade clause in the deal. It also would allow him to test the market and see what other offers might be out there for the superstar.
