A new rumor suggests LeBron James is likely to do the Los Angeles Lakers a favor they badly need.
This has been a good season for the Lakers. The organization hoped that replacing head coach Darvin Ham with JJ Redick would be more effective than major changes to the roster. And that has proven to be the right move thus far. The team also made the biggest move of the decade by acquiring former Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic before the February trade deadline.
They now head into the final weeks of the season with the fourth-best record in a tough Western Conference. And short and long-term upsides. However, there is one major issue looming in the distance: the team’s sizable payroll. They are just barely under the second tax apron by a few hundred thousand dollars. They will blow past it next season, and that is very problematic.
Being above the second tax apron comes with huge salary and roster-building penalties. Including:
Teams do not have access to the taxpayer midlevel exception.
Teams cannot use trade exceptions created when combining the salaries of multiple players.
Teams cannot use trade exceptions from any prior year. (via Bet MGM)
However, the Lakers may have a savior, and his name is LeBron James.
Could LeBron James finally give Los Angeles Lakers long rumored contract discount?
There were rumblings last summer that when he opted out of his contract, James would take a more team-friendly deal so they could make moves to improve the roster and stay under the second apron. But no meaningful moves were available, so he took a new one-year deal worth $48.7 million. However, new rumors have emerged that he could try again this summer to give them a contract discount.
“LeBron will likely opt out of his $50.6 million player option. But he is not expected to leave Los Angeles, league sources told ClutchPoints. This has been James’ strategy through the years. Signing those unique “1+1” contracts that give him and the Lakers flexibility to adjust their cap numbers accordingly.
Last off-season, James made it clear to Rob Pelinka and the Lakers front office that he would be willing to take a slight pay cut if it meant them targeting impactful talents who could increase the team’s championship odds. He will very likely do the same this summer, allowing LA to add more talent around him and Doncic. Bringing back Jaxson Hayes has also become a priority for the Lakers, along with evaluating an underwhelming pool of frontcourt talent.”
Clutch Points NBA insider Brett Siegel
It will be interesting to see how much of a discount James gives the team. Making $40 million would still be a good payday and help the franchise immensely if that is what he took next season.
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