LeBron James has been nearing the end of his NBA career over the last couple of years, and after every season, people have wondered how much longer he will remain with the Los Angeles Lakers. Two summers ago, he implied just after the Lakers were swept in the Western Conference Finals that he was thinking about retiring, and last summer, he opted out of his contract to become a free agent.
He signed a new two-year deal with a player option for the second year last summer, and before signing that deal, he was reportedly willing to take a pay cut in order to allow the team to use its mid-level exception on a player who could help. No one wanted to take that mid-level exception, however, and James took a bigger salary instead.
This summer, however, could be a different story. While L.A. was thought to be hopelessly stuck in mediocrity a year ago, they now have a good team that could be one player away from winning the NBA championship.
According to a report by ClutchPoints reporter Brett Siegel, James is once again expected to opt out and is willing to take a pay cut once again this offseason.
Via ClutchPoints:
"LeBron will likely opt out of his $50.6 million player option, but he is not expected to leave Los Angeles, league sources told ClutchPoints," Siegel wrote. "This has been James’ strategy through the years, signing those unique “1+1” contracts which give him and the Lakers flexibility to adjust their cap numbers accordingly.
"Last offseason, James made it clear to Rob Pelinka and the Lakers front office that he would be willing to take a slight pay cut if it meant them targeting impactful talents who could increase the team’s championship odds. He will very likely do the same this summer, allowing Los Angeles to add more talent around him and Luka Doncic."
The Lakers' biggest roster weakness is at the center position, where Jaxson Hayes is their only true 5 and is best suited to being a backup center playing about 15-18 minutes a game.
"Bringing back Jaxson Hayes has also become a priority for the Lakers, along with evaluating an underwhelming pool of frontcourt talent."
For now, the franchise's focus is on maximizing the roster it currently has. After losing eight out of 12 games, partly due to injuries, it claimed a big win over the Memphis Grizzlies, a team it may face in the playoffs, on Saturday.
It is in fourth place in the Western Conference and is one full game ahead of the fifth-place Grizzlies. It has a difficult remaining regular-season schedule, starting with a game against the second-place Houston Rockets at home on Monday.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Is LeBron willing to take a pay cut this summer to help the Lakers?
