It’s not that Lakers star LeBron James does not want to help out his team when it comes to adding players in the coming offseason, during which he is all but certain to become a free agent. It’s just that there is no reason to do so.
And with the way James is playing at age 40, he shouldn’t. James is averaging 24.9 points, 8.0 rebounds and 8.5 assists for the Lakers this year, and doing so for a team that is rolling in the Western Conference, sitting behind Oklahoma City with the No. 2 seed.
James just became the first player in league history to combine for 50,000 points in both the regular season and playoffs, a remarkable tribute to both his greatness and the longevity of that greatness.
“It’s a hell of a lot of points, and I’m super blessed to be able to put that many points up in the best league in the world with the best players in the world over my career,” James told Spectrum SportsNet after Tuesday’s game. “It’s pretty special.
James is still pretty special. And while the “four” in the first digit of his age will always keep alive the possibility of retirement, he appears energized by this bunch following last month’s trade for star guard Luka Doncic. That means we can expect to see him back in 2025-26.
He will, though, need a new contract. James has a $52 million player option for next season which he will almost certainly decline so that he can become a free agent. He will then sign another two-year deal with an option this summer.
I think it is pretty well-known that he will opt out and take a new deal, he’s been doing that recently, it keeps his options open and gives him the ability to walk away if he wants,” one NBA GM said. “What he won’t do, though, is take less money to give the Lakers breathing room. I just can’t see that–there’s no reason for it. It’s highly unlikely, at best.”
Last summer, James was willing to take less money–and did, to an extent–in hopes of the Lakers adding a player like DeMar DeRozan, Klay Thompson or Jonas Valanciunas. They struck out on all three. But if he was willing to do so in 2024, why not 2025?
Because free agency is not where the Lakers are going to make whatever improvement they make this summer.
They will make a trade,” the GM said. “They have the (player) option with (Dorian) Finney-Smith. We’ll see how that plays out. But they will offer up a pick and maybe (Dalton) Knecht again. And that’s gonna be their big move.”
The Lakers nearly traded Knecht, a pick swap and their 2031 pick to the Hornets for Mark Williams last month, but rescinded the trade because of Williams’ physical. Expect that package to be brought back to the fore this offseason–and expect James to take every max penny he can in free agency.
