Insider reveals LeBron James' public negotiation tactics for new Lakers contract
The hottest talking point in the NBA is LeBron James' future with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The veteran forward has a player option on his contract for next season worth $51.4M. If he opts out, he will become an unrestricted free agent. During a news conference at All-Star weekend, LeBron noted how he's happy with the Lakers organization. He did leave the door open for a potential move, though.
“I am a Laker and I’m happy, and been very happy being a Laker the last six years,” James said. “Hopefully, it stays that way. But I don’t have the answer to how long (my career has left) it is or which uniform I’ll be in."
According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, who was speaking on a Feb. 19 episode of SportsCenter, LeBron's comments are an act of public negotiation. Windhorst noted that the veteran star could potentially be angling for a contract extension worth $150M over three years.
“First off, you just have to understand LeBron is negotiating. He’s negotiating for potentially his last contract,” Windhorst said. “He doesn’t want to leave the Lakers. He certainly doesn’t want to walk away from the $50 million they can pay him next year, and quite frankly if he opts out of his contract in June, he could sign for three years in excess of $150 million, and it might take a little negotiation to get there, and so that’s part of it.”
LeBron is 39 years old. He will be entering his age 40 season in October. A potential contract extension would see him remain in the league until 43 at the earliest. There's no guarantee he will still be the same player by that point in time. The Lakers would be smart to tie down LeBron's future for another year or two. But committing such a significant amount of money to a player who will eventually succumb to the aging process is a risk.
There's no doubt that LeBron understands his position. However, at present, he's still a top-10 player in the league. His bargaining power, due to his personal brand and legendary status with the NBA, remains unrivaled. Furthermore, he knows how to play the game in terms of negotiating and making deals with the front office.
The most likely outcome for this summer is for LeBron to opt into his deal with the Lakers. From there, the focus will be on the following summer and how long he can continue playing at such an elite level. If the front office is confident he can sustain his current physical condition for multiple more years, an extension would make sense for everyone involved. It would also put the discourse surrounding his immediate future to bed. Then, the Lakers can return their focus to contending for a championship.
More must-reads: