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LeBron James reportedly agrees to two-year, $85 million contract extension
LeBron James has said he wants the Lakers to be the final stop in his career, and Tuesday he took a big step to making that a reality.
LeBron reportedly agreed to a two-year, $85 million max contract extension that will keep him with Lakers through 2023, when he will be 38 years old. Shams Charania of The Athletic broke the story, which has since been confirmed by multiple sources.
LeBron will now be with the Lakers through 2023, his 20th season in the league. Not coincidentally, that is the year his son Bronny graduates high school, and LeBron has mused about playing a season at the same time as his son in the NBA. (However, talks about doing away with the one-and-done college rule have stalled on the NBA side, and that rule may well be in place in 2023. Bronny is considered an NBA prospect but not a lottery-level talent by scouts.)
LeBron struggled with injuries, and the Lakers struggled with younger teammates adjusting to him, his first season with the Lakers. However, after a trade for Anthony Davis and a coaching change, the Lakers went on to win the NBA title last season in the bubble. This extension keeps the Lakers as contenders for the next few years.
LeBron is set to make $39.2 million this season and had a player option for $41 million next season that he will pick up as part of this. There is no official word yet if LeBron has a player option on the final year of this contract, but having one would fit the pattern of what he has always asked for (he likes flexibility and options, and he has the power to get it).
The Lakers still have Anthony Davis’ max contract offer sitting on the table, and LeBron’s extension makes it more likely that Davis signs a 2+1 deal (a three-year max contract with a player option on the final season). That would both line up LeBron and Davis’ contracts, plus in two years Davis will reach 10 years of service and can jump from getting 30% of the salary cap (as he will with his new deal, which will start at $32.7 million) to 35% of the cap.
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