As the NBA offseason presses on for the Los Angeles Lakers, the rumors continue to swirl about the immediate future of superstar LeBron James, who will become an unrestricted free agent for the first time since 2018 next month.
At this point, no one seems to know what James will do, as he has been reluctant to share his plans for his upcoming decision. James could elect to retire with his record-setting 23rd season in the books, re-sign with the Lakers or possibly explore his options in NBA free agency, which are rumored to include a potential return to the Cleveland Cavaliers or joining forces with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green on the Golden State Warriors.
LeBron Refuses to Reveal if He'll Take 'Discount' to Stay With Lakers
During an interview with Sean Gregory of TIME, James made it clear he isn't ready to make his decision on his future in the NBA and was unwilling to reveal if he would take a pay cut to return to the Lakers.
James appears in no rush to decide on next season. … But when asked if he'd take a discount to come back to L.A. and give the team more financial flexibility, James declined to comment.
With free agency set to get underway on July 1, the clock is ticking, and the Lakers brass will likely need an answer for James sooner rather than later to plan their moves for the summer.
The Lakers are determined to build the franchise around superstar guard Luka Doncic moving forward, which complicates James's return, especially if he truly is in no rush to decide his immediate future in the NBA.
Along with James' uncertain future, rising star Austin Reaves is expected to opt out of the final year of his deal with the team in order to become an unrestricted free agent and sign a long-term contract with Los Angeles or elsewhere if they can't see eye-to-eye on a new agreement.
All signs point to Reaves ultimately coming to terms with the Lakers on a lucrative long-term deal, potentially worth as much as $241 million over five years.
If he chooses to sign elsewhere, namely teams armed with cap space like the Chicago Bulls or Brooklyn Nets, he can only sign for four years, $178 million.
It'll be interesting to see how everything unfolds over the next few weeks for the Lakers, as the team also has plenty of other players on the roster hitting free agency.
Luke Kennard, Rui Hachimura, Jaxson Hayes and Maxi Kleber will be unrestricted free agents. At the same time, Deandre Ayton ($8.1 million) and Marcus Smart ($5.3 million) have until June 29 to decide whether they'll opt out of the final year of their contracts to test free agency.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/lakers/onsi as LeBron James Refuses to Reveal Key Detail About Potential Lakers Return.
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