With D’Angelo Russell, Cam Reddish, Jaxson Hayes, and Christian Wood all exercising their player options this offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers are effectively out of roster places heading into free agency. LeBron James chose to opt out of his contract, but it is still expected that he would return to the organisation and sign a new deal this summer.
How much that deal is for, however, remains to be seen. The Lakers are willing to offer James a max three-year, $754 million contract with a full no-trade clause. If he signed that deal though then the Lakers would have a full roster and would be right at the second tax apron, which means they wouldn’t be able to use their mid-level exception in free agency.
After officially opting out, James’ agent Rich Paul of Klutch Sports confirmed that he would be willing to take less money, but only if it helps the Lakers land an impact player,
If James were to take a pay reduction to allow the Lakers to use their full mid-level exception worth $122 million, it would be roughly $456 million per year. That would put him at around $33 million per season, a big drop from his maximum. However, if the Lakers are able to unload certain contracts by sending more money than they receive in a trade, James’ discount will decrease from $117 million. These are most likely the several options Pelinka will consider as he enters free agency on Sunday. If he is unable to make it work, it appears like James will be fine with taking his maximum, as he should. He is doing everything he can to aid the Lakers.