LeBron James Expected to Shoot Down Massive Offer, Shake Up Lakers Future

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is entering free agency in 2023 and the team still has time to make a good offer. The four-time NBA champion can ink another two-year deal worth $97 million.

Michael Scotto and Yossi Gozlan discussed LeBron’s future plans and his role within the Lakers organization.

“LeBron is eligible starting on August 4th for two years, $97 million, which would kick in after next season and keep him under contract through 2025. I would guess the Lakers will put that offer on the table as soon as it’s available. The Lakers’ offseason will mostly be complete by then, so he should have an idea by then if he wants to commit for another two years. My guess is he does not extend with the Lakers for a couple of reasons,” Gozlan said.

“One, he can sign it up until June 30, 2023. Two, he might want to keep the pressure on the Lakers organization after the season they just had. Three, he’s LeBron James. As long as he’s playing at this level next year, a max contract will be available to him.”

LeBron James to get big offer, cutting Lakers’ cap space

Giving LeBron his two-year extension would shrink the Lakers’ cap space in 2023. This will reduce their chance to get more players.

“Extending LeBron comes with its own caveats for the Lakers. Right now, the Lakers are projected to generate over $60 million in cap space for 2023 with only Anthony Davis and Talen Horton-Tucker under contract,” discussed said. “Extending LeBron to that maximum amount would eliminate that, but I think we can also agree that there’s a stronger likelihood the Lakers won’t have cap space because there’s a good chance they’ll take on long-term money in a Westbrook deal.”

Keeping LeBron on the roster makes perfect sense for the Lakers. He is the best basketball player of all time. King James sustained serious injuries during his stint with the Lakers. However, he averaged 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 6.2 assists while going 52.4% from the field, 35.9% from beyond the arc, and 75.6% from the free throw line this past season. He had great numbers, but the Lakers were forced out of the playoff race.