NEWSLETTER
LeBron James agreed to a new deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The contract is reportedly a two-year max worth $104 million. James will also have a player option for the 2025-26 season and become just the second active NBA player to receive a no-trade clause.
The news comes shortly after rumors surfaced that James would be open to taking a pay cut for the opportunity to add talent to the roster. Klay Thompson was one name the Lakers were in the running for before he signed with the Dallas Mavericks. DeMar DeRozan has also been name-dropped as a player James would take less money to acquire.
Nevertheless, despite DeRozan’s obvious availability, it sure feels like the Lakers made it harder on themselves to add him. ESPN’s Bobby Marks noted that the organization would have to clear upwards of $25 million in salary to have access to the $12.8 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception or adequately pull off a sign-and-trade. The idea of DeRozan taking a massive pay cut on the mid-level exception always felt like a reach.
So is the door officially shut on DeRozan returning home to LA? I wouldn’t go that far. For what it’s worth, Wojnarowski did note that James is still open to taking slightly below the max to help the team stay under the second apron and provide more flexibility. But this still underscores how complicated it’s become for the veteran forward to find a home. The market has dried up quickly, and the CBA’s new second apron has made teams extremely hesitant to spend the kind of money DeRozan covets.
Of course, the summer of 2021 reminded us that new suitors can always emerge, as the Bulls came out of nowhere to give DeRozan a three-year deal worth $82.0 million. I’m sure his camp is hoping something similar plays out over the next couple of days. Otherwise, DeRozan is being backed into taking a massive pay cut for the 2024-25 campaign after three great years in Chicago.
We got you caught up on all the DeRozan rumors yesterday …
