The Los Angeles Lakers have LeBron James back for the upcoming season, though his future beyond that is more than a little murky.
James made something of a curious call on Sunday, June 29, by opting into the final year of his current contract. The deal pays him $52.6 million in 2025-26 and includes a no-trade clause, which makes it one of the more lucrative in the sport next season and affords him an amount of power that almost no other player in the NBA can boast.
But it also appears to mean that James is both keeping his options open in terms of franchise flexibility two years from now and that he may be considering retirement following the upcoming campaign.
Comments James made during a recent dinner in New York City, which an individual nearby recorded and made public via social media on Sunday, capture the four-time MVP clearly stating the position of his wife, Savannah James, on his eventual retirement.
“Savannah wants me to [expletive] retire in the next year or so,” James said, per a video/audio recording posted by the “SportsCenter” X account.
Lakers’ Circumstances Looking Up After Recent Sale, Luka Doncic Trade
GettyLos Angeles Lakers stars Luka Doncic (left) and LeBron James (center).
That does not mean James will retire necessarily, as he finished last season as a second-team All-NBA honoree, which indicates he was among the 10 best players in the league who were healthy enough and played enough games to qualify for regular-season awards.
The Lakers are also on the cusp of a huge influx of financial investment across the organization, as the Buss family recently sold a majority stake in the league’s premier franchise to the Los Angeles Dodgers ownership group, which is headed by Mark Walter and is among the richest sports ownership collectives globally.
That, plus the addition of Luka Doncic to the roster, should give James plenty of incentive to return to the franchise. However, even if James doesn’t retire following next year, he expects the Lakers to impress him with their offseason moves this summer in the context of competing for a championship immediately in 2025-26.
And in that regard, opting into his contract rather than opting out and negotiating a one-plus-one deal that would have guaranteed him a substantial salary in 2026-27 and may have also included a no-trade clause, as his current deal does, may be a message to new Lakers ownership that he’s prepared to leave in search of a fifth championship should he deem that a necessity.
LeBron James Sends Message to Lakers on Trying to Win Now
Getty LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Shams Charania of ESPN reported on Sunday that James is watching closely how the Lakers operate this summer to improve the roster to a point that it can compete in a tough Western Conference with the likes of the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves and now reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
“James, the NBA’s career scoring leader, wants to compete for a championship next season and potentially beyond and will be closely monitoring the Lakers’ moves and whether the team is positioning itself this offseason to field a title-contending roster, [his agent Rich] Paul said,” Charania wrote.
James will become the first player in league history to play a 23rd season when the Lakers tip off the 2025-26 campaign. Should James play in 50 of 82 contests next year, he will also become the all-time leader in regular-season games played.
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