LeBron James (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James was quick to pour cold water over speculation that he has already decided on what he’ll do this summer.LeBron James and the Lakers saw their season end at the hands of the Denver Nuggets for the second straight, though this time it was in the opening round instead of the Western Conference Finals.
Speaking on the “Get Up” program on Tuesday morning, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst stated that he thinks James “intends to opt out of his contract and become a free agent for the first time since 2018.”
On Tuesday evening, however, James took to X/Twitter and stated that he’s not sure what he will do this offseason, and that he’s currently focused on being with his family and friends:
James has a massive $51.4 million option for next season, but the 39-year-old can opt out of it and test free agency. The four-time NBA Champion has switched teams three times in his career through the open market — with the Miami Heat in 2010, the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014 and the Lakers in 2018.
The future Hall of Fame once again showed that he has plenty of gas left in the tank during his age 38/39 season. James averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists per contest in 71 games during the regular season.
LeBron James Can Essentially Choose His Next Team
If James is keen on leaving the Lakers, there will only be a handful of teams that he’ll seriously consider in free agency.
But the bottom line is that James can basically choose his team at this point. He can take a considerable pay cut to play for a contender, or else the team he wants to join would likely move mountains to fit him under their cap.
If James wants to leave the massive Los Angeles market, one can only assume that it’ll be to play for a team that gives him a better chance at winning a championship. Teams like the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors all make sense as possible landing spots for “The King.”