Los Angeles Lakers superstar forward LeBron James has emerged as one of the top potential free agents on the market this summer — despite being 39 years old and on the verge of his record-tying 22nd pro season.
According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Lakers will be happy to give James any deal he wants. Due to the latest CBA’s new Over-38 Rule, the most James can be re-signed for is a three-year deal, notes Sam Quinn of CBS Sports. Maximally, he would pick up his $51.4 million player option with the Lakers for 2024-25, and with baked-in yearly 8% raises, he’d earn a total of $164.3 million through the 2026-27 season on the deal, when he’d turn 42 midseason.
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Buha reports that James hopes to play just one or two more years, however, which would still take him to a record-setting 23rd season, but would theoretically cap his earnings at $105.7 million over those two seasons.
The 6-foot-9 big man may not be the most dominant force in the NBA anymore, but he remains one of the league’s best 25 or so players. The 20-time All-NBA and All-Star honoree was healthier than he had been since the 2019-20 season, appearing in 71 regular season contests. James averaged 25.7 points on a .540/.410/.750 slash line, 8.3 assists, 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 0.5 blocks a night.
