LeBron James controls his fate here.
The King can pretty much decides what he wants to do with his NBA future, and the Los Angeles Lakers will likely go along with it.
That’s part of what makes James’ upcoming contract implications so intriguing.
LeBron has a $52 million player option in place for the 2025-26 season. That means he can opt in to the option and be under contract for next season, or he can opt out and be a free agent.
Bleacher Report predicts that James will opt out.
B/R explains that James will then sign a two-year deal worth $105 million, for which the second season is a player option.
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Essentially, that contract structure would get James the same payday for 2025-26 and give him some flexibility for 2026-27.
There would definitely be some slight worries in Lakers land if James opted out, though, even if it’s meant to just be for a short time.
After the Lakers’ final game, James was asked about his future and responded, “I don’t know.”
Since then, there’s been plenty of speculation about where James goes from here. Does he stick around to play with Bronny (and maybe Bryce in a year)? Does he seek a different team he feels has a better chance at a title?
No one but LeBron really knows what’s coming next.
The all-time great has earned the right to take his time and make whatever decision he wants. In the meantime, the NBA world awaits his choice.
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