James will not be a free agent this offseason / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
With free agency set to begin on June 30, LeBron James has made a decision on his contract option with the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2025-26 season.
On Sunday James's agent, Rich Paul, told ESPN [the superstar will be picking up his player option](https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/45608010/lebron-james-picks-526m-option-monitoring-lakers-moves) to stay in purple and gold through next year. The option will pay James $52.6 million next season, and picking it up means he will not be entering free agency when it kicks off on Monday.
James, 40, is near the end of his NBA career but wants to keep competing for championships and will be "closely monitoring" how the Lakers' offseason unfolds, according to Charania. L.A.'s fortunes changed dramatically earlier this year when the franchise shockingly acquired Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Anthony Davis. The trade led to moderate success for the Lakers this year but they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
James averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists in 70 games for the Lakers in another All-NBA season. A big offseason now awaits for the Lakers with the eyes of James and the rest of the world upon them.