After winning their last two matchups, the Los Angeles Lakers are slowly inching towards that eighth spot in the Western Conference. At 39 years of age, LeBron James has been giving it his all every time he steps onto the floor. And the Lakers are doing everything possible to make the most of his twilight years. But with LBJ entering the final year of his contract, rumors of re-negotiation have Ryen Russillo and American sportswriter Bill Simmons convinced the Lakers won’t go on to win another title.
Advertisement
On The Bill Simmons Podcast, media host Ryen Russillo and Bill Simmons had an intricate discussion on whether the Los Angeles Lakers will be able to win another title or not. Both hosts agreed that the Lakers’ cap space, which is low due to LeBron and AD’s combined $100 million per year, and LeBron entering the final year of his contract would be an issue.
“If he wants to win another title, and he takes like $50 million a year when Davis is already making $50 million a year, it basically means they’re not going to win another title.”
According to Spotrac, LeBron James has a player option for $51 million as he enters the last year of his contract. However, if The King decides to opt out of his player option, he can negotiate a new deal with the team, seeking more than what he would’ve gotten had he opted into his player option.
The problem here is that if LeBron James goes on to demand a paycheck well over the $50 million mark, that would leave no cap space for the Lakers to sign a good supporting role around him and Anthony Davis.
As per the reports, Anthony Davis already has a 3-year/$177 million contract extension waiting for him at the end of the 2024-25 NBA season. His contract extension would tie up an initial $54 million in the first year and so on.
Add another $50 million of cap space being occupied with LeBron James’ contract and you can see how it doesn’t leave much flexibility for the Lakers front office to sign or re-sign a few players in the future.
LeBron James most likely to extend his contract with the Lakers
Even at 39 years of age, LeBron James is still one of the most valuable players in the league right now. The level of skill set and basketball IQ that he brings to the table easily justifies the $50 million price tag that comes along with his services, at least to the Los Angeles Lakers.
No wonder the Lakers front office and James have already discussed a new contract for him by the end of the 2023-24 NBA season. As per NBA analyst Brian Windhorst, James is most likely to re-sign with the Lakers this offseason.
“He loves playing in LA. He loves playing for $50 million a year, which he would get staying in Los Angeles. And ultimately, that’s where I think he’s going to be.”
Another factor that plays into LeBron James’ decision to re-sign with the Lakers is his son Bronny James. Over the past few years, James has been quite vocal about his desire to share the court with his son. And with ESPN pushing Bronny from the 2024 NBA draft to next year also works in James’ favor of re-signing with the team. Now, all we have to wait is to see how much the Lakers offer LBJ this upcoming offseason.
