Shams Charania has posted the following:
"Breaking: Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James is opting into his $52.6 million player option for the 2025-26 season, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul told ESPN.
Paul adds:
LeBron "knows the Lakers are building for the future … but he values a realistic chance of winning it all.""
Rich Paul: "We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what's best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career."
Link to the story: https://bsky.app/profile/shamsbot.bsky.social/post/3lsqxg6axts2v
27 comments
LeBron is timeless.
This is really his last year 💔
Genuine question, Why does Rich Paul always throw little shots at teams? does he think he’s keeping them on their toes?
He’s probably retiring after this season. This seems like a mutual agreement that he’s either gonna retire/move on next season and we’re gonna pursue our next star next FA (When JJJ, Young, Fox, etc become available) with our open cap sheet.
Once more unto the breach, dear friends?
LePaycheck
Ya year 23 is about to be the retirement tour.
I don’t think losing 4-1 in the first round after getting destroyed by Rudy 4 time DPOY, 8 time All Defense, 3 time All Star, and Future Hall of Famer Gobert keeps you at a realistic chance at winning it all on the Lakers
Jaxson Hayes, get ready to learn how to play basketball.
ReTirement
Bron wants to own a team he will not take discounts. If lakers or any team keeps giving him 50 million a year he won’t retire.
Here, before people complain about him opting in when he offered to take a pay cut last year, and the Lakers didn’t do anything. They’ll mention Kobe when Kobe was the highest paid player in the league after tearing his achillies.
He certainly values that 53 million.
Has LeBron ever opted into a player option like this before?
“We know we are not winning the chip with this roster. LeBron will take his bag.”
LeBron basically signed a one year super max.
we had this article a few days ago
This reads to me like it’s laying the stage for Lebron and the Lakers to mutually agree on trading him if it’s not realistic to build a legitimate contender this season
Only issue is I don’t know if there are other teams out there that could afford to trade $50 million in matching salary and still be a contender
I don’t want to see 40y/o LeBron be the best teammate Luka will ever have, I’m terrified of that
I found the dinner snippet about his wife wanting him to hang it up in the next year or so to be interesting. Hoping he doesn’t go until his family life suffers like Brady did, as much as I love watching him on the court.
I know i could just a shitty LeJoke but if this is it it’s truly the end of an era, we don’t even get a clear end like MJ on the wizards, just a man who could clearly start on any team in the league retiring, he’s dominated the league longer than I’ve been a fan of it, gonna be really weird when he’s finally gone
Last year really is the training Luka arc, isn’t it?
“My client wants money”
It’s funny seeing people act like lebron taking a pay cut is the difference between them being a championship contender or not. Even if he took one, they still wouldn’t have much to spend. Anyways he deserves every penny of that and more
Why does it sound like he’s opting in just to make a trade easier?
I’ve been rooting against and for this mf my entire life, crazy to think that this is it
BREAKING: LeBron doesn’t want to stop living in LA