*On August 4, LeBron James becomes eligible to sign a one-year contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers worth $47 million or a two-year extension worth $97 million.
According to multiple reports, if he doesn’t sign an extension by next July, James will become a free agent.
Per Yahoo Sports, “whether LeBron signs it or not will be one of the most scrutinized decisions of the summer,” the outlet writes.
James, 37, is currently under contract through the 2022-23 season. He originally signed a four-year, $153.5 million with the Lakers in 2018. When the Lakers won the NBA championship he agreed to a two-year, $85.6 million extension in 2020.
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Marc Stein noted in his latest newsletter that James is not expected to bail on the Laker as he is “extremely happy in Los Angeles.” He writes:
Sources briefed on the matter stress that James is extremely happy in Los Angeles despite the Lakers’ back-to-back rocky seasons. He and his family, by all accounts, have grown increasingly entrenched in Southern California since James signed with the Lakers in the summer of 2018.The prevailing thinking in league circles holds that only the chance to play elsewhere alongside son Bronny James, who will be eligible for the 2024 draft and continues to develop as an NBA prospect, would spur LeBron to push for an L.A. exit.
We reported previously that James said he wanted to play his last season with his son Bronny James. But after catching heat from fans, the NBA star backtracked and confirmed his commitment to the Los Angeles Lakers.
“I see myself being with the purple and gold as long as I can play,” James said in March, as reported by MSN via USA Today Sports. “But I also have a goal that if it’s possible — I don’t even know if it’s possible — and if I can play with my son, I would love to do that. Is that something that any man would want one day in life? That’s the coolest thing that could possibly happen. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t want to be with this franchise.”
Bronny attends Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth, California, where he plays for the basketball team. The teenager isn’t eligible for the NBA Draft until 2024 when James will be 39.
James said during All-Star Game weekend that his goal is to play his final season with his son.
“My last year will be played with my son,” James told The Athletic on Feb. 19. “Wherever Bronny is at, that’s where I’ll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year. It’s not about the money at that point.”
Meanwhile, as Stein reports, LeBron to expected to sign an extension with the LA Lakers.
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