The NBA’s all-time leading scorer, LeBron James, opted in to his player option for next season with the Los Angeles Lakers worth $52.6 million.
On ESPN’s First Take, Tim Bontemps gave a blunt response to James’ decision to opt in to his deal. He said that while James remains a top player in the league, he is no longer the team’s main focus.
“The moment the Lakers made that trade (for Doncic), the LeBron James era in Los Angeles ended,” Bontemps said. “Everything they’ve done since then has been geared toward having a team built around Luka Doncic.”
While James opted into his deal, his agent, Rich Paul, also told ESPN that James would monitor the Lakers’ offseason moves, namely, adding a center through a trade or free agency.
LeBron’s Agent Gave Context
Once the announcement came from Shams Charania that James would return to the Lakers, Paul gave more context on the 21-time All-Star’s decision.
“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Paul told ESPN. “He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with Jeanie [Buss] and Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.”
James could have turned down the deal for next year and instead signed a smaller contract that would have given Los Angeles a better chance to sign a player in free agency. He instead took the option for $52.6 million next year, giving the Lakers less financial room to work with this summer.
“We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future,” Paul added. “We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive, and want what’s best for him.”
James is the oldest player in the NBA. He averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists on 51.3% shooting in 70 regular-season games last season, while the Minnesota Timberwolves knocked the Lakers out of the 2025 NBA Playoffs in the first round.
Lakers and LeBron’s Uncertain Future
The Lakers have reportedly been interested in big names in the trade or free agent market this summer, including but not limited to De’Andre Ayton, Al Horford, and Walker Kessler, yet none have come to fruition yet.
So far this offseason they’ve also lost Dorian Finney-Smith, but added Jake LaRavia in free agency.
Whilst in the middle of the Lakers’ hunt for a center and James opting in to his deal, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said that the relationship between him and the team could be coming to an end.
“I don’t mean this to be controversial, it’s just true: This is the beginning of the end with the Lakers for Lebron,” Windhorst said. “For the first time in his career, he is on the end of a contract.”
While Los Angeles begins to prioritize Doncic and players that fit around him better, James’ signing the player option for just one season instead of a longer deal could foreshadow his time with the franchise being over sooner rather than later.
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