Earlier this week the Los Angeles Lakers crossed another item off their to-do list when they agreed to a contract extension with LeBron James. James was entering the final NBA season of his contract, in which he will earn $44.5 million. He signed a two-year, $97.1 million extension, but the second season is a player option.
The 1+1 deal is one that James has signed throughout his career to leave himself as much flexibility as possible. It is also a tactic to put a little pressure on the franchise that he is playing for to make some moves to get closer to winning an NBA Championship.
The Lakers certainly have some work to do when it comes to reshaping the roster, but they can at least rest easy knowing that James will be with them for two more seasons at a minimum. In 2023 that could help in the recruitment of someone such as Kyrie Irving, who has been linked to the Lakers.
The 2023 offseason could feature some solid players hitting free agency. But, when canvassing the league and seeing where else he could play should he want to leave the Lakers, James wasn’t thrilled with his options.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN during an appearance on Get Up, that was part of the reason that James signed his extension with Los Angeles. None of the potential free agent destinations interested him enough to consider playing the 2022-23 season out on an expiring deal.
“For LeBron James, he looked at the free agency landscape next summer, who might have cap space, and there was nothing that interested him enough, I’m told, to keep that option open and go into the season on an expiring contract.”
In addition to not having an interest in any potential landing spots, James’ focus on potentially changing teams is in 2024. That is when his son, Bronny, will be eligible for the NBA Draft and James has made it clear that he wants to finish his career playing on the same team as his son.
With that in mind, staying in Los Angeles and not uprooting his family more than once likely played a major part in the decision to sign an extension as well.
More NBA News & Trade Rumors: Los Angeles Lakers & LeBron James
- Expected Outcome From Lakers’ LeBron James Contract Talks
- Lakers Coach Has More Power To Bench Russell Westbrook
- Major Details Emerge From Lakers-Knicks-Jazz Trade Talks
- Lakers Land Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving In Trade Scenario
For the latest surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James, check out our NBA news and trade rumors feed.
