The talk of the early offseason for the Los Angeles Lakers has been about who they’re going to hire and who the front office plans to pair with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. However, James can hit free agency if he opts out of his player option this offseason and leave Los Angeles.
Looking at five “surprising moves we could see,” Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report listed James signing with the Philadelphia 76ers.
“Beyond simply giving James a chance to rejoin the Eastern Conference and escape the wild West, the Sixers have two legitimate co-stars in Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey,” Buckley wrote on June 12. “They also basically have a blank-slate roster around their stars, meaning the supporting cast could be tailor-made to the trio’s strengths.
“If James bases his decision solely on basketball, Philly should have a real chance. Yes, he won a title in L.A., but that was now five seasons ago with a dramatically different roster. This group just got the healthiest season yet from the James-Davis duo and still couldn’t manage better than a solid-but-not-spectacular .573 winning percentage and first-round exit.”
Lebron James’ Contracts He Could Sign
James is eligible to sign a new contract this offseason, and according to Sam Quinn of CBS Sports, three contracts make sense.
Due to being older than 38 years old, James can only agree to a contract that spans over three seasons. The NBA has an Over-38 Rule, which is “against teams paying older players after they retire as a form of cap circumvention.”
“The most lucrative contract James can sign this offseason would come in the form of an opt-in and eventual extension, most likely with the Lakers, but potentially with another team through a trade,” Quinn wrote on June 1. “That deal would start at his option number, which is roughly $51.4 million, and then include 8% annual raises for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 season. The total figure would be a little bit over $164 million.”
James would be eligible for a 5% raise on his previous salary if he left the Los Angeles Lakers and found a new team. According to Quinn, the total figure would come in at roughly $157 million.
There’s a scenario where he could take less than the max, but James hasn’t done that since he rejoined the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2014-2015 season.
James ‘Needs to Ponder His Next Move’
The Los Angeles Lakers have fallen short of their goal of winning a championship over the past few seasons. With three tradeable first-round picks, Austin Reaves, and others, the Lakers could be in the mix to be active in the offseason trade market.
However, the loaded Western Conference doesn’t seem to be getting any easier, and no move guarantees a championship.
With a tough Western Conference, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer wrote that “championships aren’t coming anytime soon in Los Angeles” and “LeBron at least needs to ponder his next move.”
“Championships aren’t coming anytime soon in Los Angeles, though. Not in the Lakers’ current state,” O’Connor wrote on June 11. “Not with the West as loaded as it is. This is why Hurley decided to head back to Connecticut, and why LeBron at least needs to ponder his next move.”
Returning to the Eastern Conference with the Philadelphia 76ers and forming a trio with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey could be the best option for him to win a championship at the end of his career.
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