LeBron James Expected to Opt-In to $52.6 Million Player Option with Los Angeles Lakers
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, LeBron James is expected to return to the Los Angeles Lakers next season after losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs. Charania shared this information on the Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday, stating that James is likely to opt in to his player option of $54-57 million.
The 40-year-old James is currently in the second year of a two-year, $101,355,998 million contract with the Lakers. In his 22nd campaign in the NBA and seventh in purple and gold, James averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game while shooting 51.3% from the field. This impressive performance earned him All-NBA second-team honors.
Despite a successful season, the Lakers underwent several changes this past season. The team hired James' podcast co-host, JJ Redick, to replace Darvin Ham as their head coach, and drafted James' son, Bronny James, out of USC with the 55th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. However, despite being the first father-son duo to play in the NBA, Bronny spent much of the season swinging between the NBA and the G League.
In February, the Lakers also acquired Luka Dončić in a shocking trade that sent Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks. The Lakers secured the third seed in the Western Conference with a 50-32 record before falling to the Timberwolves in five games. James suffered a Grad 2 MCL sprain on his left knee in Game 5 against Minnesota after colliding with Donte DiVincenzo. After getting an MRI, James was given a recovery time of three to five weeks, which would have ended his run of 292 consecutive playoff games played without a miss due to injury.
Despite these setbacks, it seems that LeBron James will be back with the Lakers next season. However, there will likely be some hard conversations between him and the team about what the future holds for both him and the Lakers. As James himself has stated, he wants to be in a competitive environment whether he plays one more season or a few more seasons. Only time will tell what the future holds for LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
