20-time All-NBA selection LeBron James, the Los Angeles Lakers combo forward, holds a $51.4 million player option on his contract with Los Angeles for the 2024-25 NBA season. He has until June 29 to choose, but apparently he already has (though it's not official).
According to Dan Woyk of the Los Angeles Times, the decision has already been made: James plans to opt out of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent for the first time since 2018. At 39 years old, the 6-foot-9 superstar is no longer the arguably best player in the league, though it's fair to say he still held that title the last time he became a free agent.
None of this should be taken as a sign that James, who won his fourth championship with the franchise (and his first with the Lakers) in 2020, wants to leave. He must understand that this team, which went a mediocre 90-74 over the past two seasons and never finished higher than the seventh seed either time, may be further away from championship contention than a typical LeBron James team. In part, that's because, while he's still an All-Star, he's no longer the generational talent he was in his prime.
Reports are that the Lakers are willing to take on any deal to keep James in Hollywood. Of course, that's what Hall of Fame shooting guard Kobe Bryant did when he signed late in his career, even though he was well out of All-Star caliber (though fans voted him for the All-Star team). He's still a box office and ratings-driving, highlight-reel-worthy star. James has occasionally expressed interest in playing alongside his son, Bronny, a raw former USC combo guard who is entering the draft and is considered an unlikely second-round pick. The Lakers have made a show of trying to get him, but LeBron has recently tried to distance himself from fully committing to playing for his son no matter where he is drafted.
More on the Lakers: Two former Los Angeles wings could be good free agents
