Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka has many important decisions to make in the coming months. The Lakers have upwards of nine free agents — including 41-year-old superstar LeBron James — and will have ample cap space to help build a contender around Luka Doncic.
James’ free agency is a fascinating case. First, he must decide if he wants to return for a record-setting 24th season. If he does, putting a valuation on him is difficult.
James showed both in the latter part of the regular season and in the playoffs that he can still thrive in any role that’s asked of him, but his stamina isn’t what it used to be and having him at too high a dollar amount could hamstring the Lakers in getting necessary role players.
Pelinka nevertheless shared the Lakers would certainly welcome re-signing James, but the franchise also wants to be respectful of the process he’s going to embark on.
“I think in terms of LeBron, we probably haven’t seen a player that has honored the game to the extent that he’s honored the game,” Pelinka said at his annual end-of-season press conference. “He’s given so much to his teammates, to this organization. And the thing we want to do more than anything else is honor him back.
“I think the first order of business there is allowing him to spend the time he needs to decide what his next steps are. Does he want to play another year in the NBA? That will be, as he said to you guys [Monday] night, family time. I think time with his inner circle. And we just want to honor that for him. Of course, any team, including ours, would love to have LeBron James on their roster. That’s a blessing in itself, just with what he does.”
Earlier in the season, the concept of James returning to the Lakers after 2025-26 seemed unlikely at best. But now, it feels that the two sides are equally interested in a reunion.
All of these question marks, though, will remain unanswered until James first decides if he wants to play in his age-42 season. But the Lakers, it seems, will welcome him back with open arms if that’s what he chooses.
JJ Redick wants to keep Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves together
Head coach JJ Redick is hopeful to have the trio of Doncic, James and Austin Reaves back for next season, he said after L.A.’s elimination. Keeping all three would be a strong start given the way the trio ended the season together, but dollar amounts will become critical for James and Reaves if they want to build a more well-fitting team around them.
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