LeBron James will be a free agent this summer, and his future with the Los Angeles Lakers is unclear.
James may well end his legendary career where it began by signing with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the offseason. However, the Cavaliers have very little cap space — so as presently constructed, Cleveland cannot come close to matching James’ $52.6 million salary, one of the highest in the NBA.
MORE: Lakers predicted to tip off post-LeBron James era by drafting former All-Star’s son
In order to return triumphantly to Cleveland and set the stage for one of the grandest retirement tours in NBA history, James will have to make some sacrifices. He will perhaps have to sign a contract for the veteran’s minimum.
But by auctioning off the streaming rights to his “farewell tour,” James could end up surpassing Stephen Curry in earnings next season, just as Curry is set to become the NBA’s first $60 million per year player.
Anthony Lima, a host on 92.3 “The Fan” sports radio in Cleveland, wrote Wednesday on X that media executives think James can net between $40 million and $75 million by getting streaming platforms to bid for the rights to televise his final NBA season (if 2026-27 indeed is his swan song).
I talked to a few execs in media world about how much LeBron could get for the rights to his farewell tour in a streaming bidding war.
Was told $40-75 million.
So yes, he could play for vet minimum next year on a title contender and still get compensation for his value.
Add…
— Anthony Lima (@SportsBoyTony) February 18, 2026
“Add in final year of one-off marketing deals and it’s a no-brainer,” Lima said. “Basically entire season would be brought to you by ‘LeBron James and Friends.’”
If nothing else, it is food for thought — and don’t think that James hasn’t considered a possibility like this one already.
More NBA news: