NBA Rumor: LeBron James has two options to renew his contract with the Lakers.
Ensuring LeBron James stays on the team is crucial for the Lakers to win the championship next season. Different from the end of the 2022-23 season, after the Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in the 2024 NBA playoffs, James seems to feel relieved to play another season.
There was a lot of discussion about retirement last year, but this season it seems James will definitely play next season and the following season.
However, the Lakers can't guarantee to keep James.
First of all, James has a player option worth 51.4 million dollars in the 2024-25 season, and he may choose to refuse.
According to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, this is the most likely route taken by the NBA's historical scoring champion.
For Lakers fans, the good news is that James may still choose to execute his contract option, because Jovan Buha and Shams Zarania of The Athletic reported that the possibility of executing or rejecting the player option is "existing".
This is really good news. LeBron James started his off-season so early that he almost caught enough fish. Now we can finally consider the situation of the contract.
LeBron James has always liked to keep his contract flexible. During his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers, he did not sign a long-term contract extension, which enabled him to become a free player when he wished.
However, James signed a two-year contract extension with the Lakers in 2022, breaking his previous practice.
Now, it is not clear what factors James will attach importance to in his upcoming contract decision. Would he prefer to play with his son Brownie, who performed well in the draft joint trial, or would he prefer to win another championship ring before retiring?
If James stays with the Lakers, can these goals be achieved?
These questions will be answered when we enter the off season full of uncertainty.
Will LeBron James stay in Los Angeles?
LeBron James has established a stable life for himself and his family in Los Angeles, so whether he chooses to execute his contract next season or not, he is likely to stay with the Lakers.
In addition, if the situation is urgent, the Lakers may be able to use their 17th pick in the 2024 NBA draft to select Browne James, thereby persuading LeBron to stay.
However, it is unclear whether it is worthwhile to select Brownie in this position just to ensure the remaining years of James' career.
In addition, there are also many rumors that the Lakers may obtain the possible star players in the market through trade. Donovan Mitchell and Trey Young were mentioned as potential trading targets, while Darius Garland may also be an option.
But it seems LeBron James has more ambitious ideas on how to make full use of his last years in the league. According to Siegel, James' offseason decisions will be greatly influenced by the plans of Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant.
The three will work together to redeem the honor of the US team at the 2024 Olympic Games. Because their performance at the 2023 FIBA World Cup was disappointing, the three will undoubtedly discuss the potential cooperation.
Lakers fans should be ready for an off season full of twists and turns, because they are waiting for James' decision to see if he is willing to stay elsewhere in the last few years of his career in order to fight for a championship before retiring.
In a word: James may not stay with the Lakers. If he becomes a free player, he can join hands with Curry and Durant.
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