LeBron James to decline player option, sign new Lakers deal: how much longer will he play for?

LeBron James is expected to opt out of his $51.4 million player option with the Los Angeles Lakers, which will in turn enable him to negotiate a new deal with the California franchise, only two days after they drafted the 39-year-old’s son Bronny James in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Lebron James “expects” to stay at Lakers with Bronny

Speculation has been rife in recent months about whether the former Cleveland Cavaliers star would opt to stay in Los Angeles, with plenty of talk suggesting his future depended on where James Jr ended up. Initially, LeBron had stated that one of his goals before the end of his career was to play with his son, which Rich Paul, Bronny’s agent, claimed was no longer true only a few days ago.

However, with Bronny now officially part of the Lakers roster, and podcast co-host JJ Redick confirmed as their new head coach, The Athletic’s NBA insider Shams Charania has claimed James Sr “intends” to decline his $51.4 million player option for next season, but that “the expectation is James will return to the Lakers on a new deal”.

LeBron James’ possible new Lakers deal

How will that new deal look? According to Lakers correspondent Khobi Price of the Los Angeles Daily News, there are two likely possibilities.

The NBA icon can sign a three-year maximum contract with the 17-time NBA champions, which would be worth around $162 million, the biggest in his career. That would include a 2024/25 salary of $49.9 million and could be agreed after free agency begins on Sunday (30 June). Per Price, the Lakers are prepared to offer their veteran star such a deal.

The alternative would be for James to sign shorter-term deals that would enable him to become eligible for free agency in the upcoming off-seasons. But that would presumably be a less attractive option now that Bronny has been drafted by the Lakers.

James, a three-time NBA champion with the Cavs, has won one championship since joining the Lakers in 2018. Despite his advancing years, he averaged 25.7 points in 71 Games in 2023/24, his 20th straight season averaging more than 20 points per Game, an NBA record.