Since his time with Miami, LeBron James has never been the type of player to accept less than the maximum on a contract. In fact, the terms of the contract were favorable to him. There was no debate about whether he would accept the maximum contract. The only debate was whether the franchise would meet his other demands so that he would sign another contract.
The practice started in Cleveland and was widely carried over to Los Angeles, but this summer LeBron pulled a big surprise: Not only did he not use his impending free agency as a bargaining chip, he also signaled his willingness to work with the Lakers.
By expressing his willingness to take a pay cut, LeBron opened up the possibility of a tax-free mid-level exception, a huge asset for the Lakers. In the end, the team couldn't sign anyone, but that's not LeBron's fault. Still, LeBron accepted the discount by signing a near-max contract that would keep the team in the second tier or lower.
So what changed LeBron's thinking after nearly a decade of using his contract to his advantage? He spoke about it in a recent interview with ESPN's Dave McMenamin.
“We are in a relationship, and we all know what a relationship is. [knows that] “It's all about committing,” he told ESPN, “and doing something that works for both sides. That's why we've been working together for seven years. That's what it's all about.”
Winning is still LeBron's number one priority, but it doesn't seem to be the only priority like it was in the past. Before, the threat of him leaving the team was always real. In Los Angeles, that threat is fading.
That's not a bad thing. He's been in the league for over 20 years. Priorities change. The Lakers have benefited from the perception that his priorities have shifted from winning to spending time with his family. It makes perfect sense that he wouldn't want to move his family of five to play somewhere else just for a few seasons, not to mention the fact that the Lakers made a deep playoff run themselves.
LeBron wants to do well in Los Angeles and isn't going to go somewhere else where things might be better. That's been clear for a while, but LeBron made it crystallized this summer.
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