For the second straight year, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James played it coy about his future at the conclusion of the season.
Last year after losing to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals, James teased the possibility of retirement after 20 NBA seasons. He of course came back and had another exceptional year for the Lakers though, showing that he is still capable of playing at an All-NBA level even at his age.
This offseason is different though as while retirement never seemed like a possibility for LeBron, leaving the Lakers is. He came into the summer with a player option for just over $51 million, but the expectation all along was that he would decline it to sign a bigger contract with L.A. or maybe even to test free agency and see what else is out there.
While the expectation isn’t necessarily that James will leave, especially now that the team has drafted his son Bronny James, he has indeed declined his player option to become a free agent, per Shams Charania of The Athletic:
Just In: Los Angeles Lakers four-time champion LeBron James intends to opt out of his $51.4 million player option for next season, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. The expectation is James will return to the Lakers on a new deal. pic.twitter.com/wQAbSAwCQD
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 29, 2024
Reports indicated early in the offseason that the Lakers are willing to offer James any contract he is interested in, including the maximum three-year, $164 million extension. As he gets set to enter his 22nd season while turning 40 later this year, the expectation is that James will play at least two more years.
At this stage of his career, James is only interested in competing for championships so the Lakers obviously have some work to do to get to that level. It will be fascinating to see if LeBron inks an extension before Rob Pelinka and the front office make their offseason moves, or if he will wait to see what the roster looks like before deciding on his future with the organization.
They did end up hiring his friend and podcast co-host JJ Redick to be their head coach though, in addition to drafting Bronny, so all indications remain that James will stay in L.A.
LeBron James and Jeanie Buss’ relationship reportedly better than ever
One thing that will be important moving forward is LeBron James’ vision being aligned with the Lakers’, and that starts up top with owner and governor Jeanie Buss.
According to recent reports, James and Buss’ relationship is currently ‘better than ever’ which is a good sign that the Lakers will be able to keep the superstar in the purple and gold for next season and beyond.
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