There’s a scenario where the Los Angeles Lakers could lose LeBron James during the offseason. James, who hasn’t opted out of his deal, is reportedly likely to opt out and take a pay cut to help the Lakers land players and improve the roster around him, according to Brett Siegel of Clutch Points.Â
âLeBron will likely opt out of his $50.6 million player option, but he is not expected to leave Los Angeles, league sources told ClutchPoints. This has been Jamesâ strategy through the years, signing those unique â1+1â contracts which give him and the Lakers flexibility to adjust their cap numbers accordingly.
âLast offseason, James made it clear to Rob Pelinka and the Lakers front office that he would be willing to take a slight pay cut if it meant them targeting impactful talents who could increase the teamâs championship odds. He will very likely do the same this summer, allowing Los Angeles to add more talent around him and Luka Doncic. Bringing back Jaxson Hayes has also become a priority for the Lakers, along with evaluating an underwhelming pool of frontcourt talent,â he wrote.
Are the Knicks a Fit?
Despite the opportunity to leave the Los Angeles Lakers if he opts out of his deal, it doesn’t seem likely at this stage of James’ career. Even if he wants to play for a different team, leaving Los Angeles might not make much sense from a personal perspective.Â
However, if he does, the New York Knicks were linked to him, with a writer predicting them to be one of five teams that could sign the all-time leading scorer in NBA history.Â
âThe Knicks currently, improbably, lead the Boston Celtics 2-0 in their ongoing second round playoff series, and could shockingly upset the reigning champs. But New York still has a major depth problem, with head coach Tom Thibodeau generally limiting his regular season rotation to seven players and overplaying his top four.
âIn the playoffs, to his credit, Thibodeau is doing a better job of pacing his stars. But even if they beat Boston, can New York win two more playoff series en route to its first championship since 1973? Adding James to its first five and relegating Josh Hart to the bench could hurt the club a little on defense, but would abet the team mightily on offense. He would have to take a severe discount here,â Alex Kirschenbaum of SI wrote.
Would LeBron leave Los Angeles?
James is only getting older, and the Los Angeles Lakers must understand that. However, for the Lakers, keeping him around seems to be the logical thing to do. James, now 40 years old, has continued to play basketball at a high level.Â
In the 2024-25 season, he averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists. If the Lakers allowed him to walk, they likely wouldn’t find a player of that status.
James is essentially writing off into the sunset at this point in his career, but he’s still very good, and he brings different things to the Lakers. Whether on the court or as a mentor to some of the younger players, he’s a perfect role model for somebody like Luka Doncic.
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