Lakers' New Contract with LeBron James Designed to Help Free Agent Recruitment

There are still some intriguing options on the open market, but time is running out.

Apr 29, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) controls the ball as Denver Nuggets guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (5) guards in the third quarter during game five of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Lakers All-NBA combo forward LeBron James inked a fresh two-year, near-maximum contract with the club that is set to pay him $101.35 million across the next two seasons, which puts the team $45,000 below the NBA's punitive second luxury tax apron, reports Bobby Marks of ESPN. Marks adds that, assuming L.A. doesn't make future deals wherein they add more salary than they ship out, the team will stay that way this year. Thus, their 2032 first round draft pick would not be penalized, as it otherwise would.

James' deal also includes a no-trade clause and a 15 percent trade kicker, meaning he'd earn 115 percent of his contract were it to be traded (unless he waived it to better facilitate a deal).

Because the Lakers are below the second apron, the team will be able to enact trades a bit easier than they otherwise would have. Thus, the club will be better set-up, should it make a deal or two, to bring in fresh free agent blood.

At present, aside from rookie draft picks Dalton Knecht and James' son Bronny (plus the departure of Taurean Prince and the current undetermined fate of unrestricted free agent Spencer Dinwiddie), Los Angeles' roster looks exactly the same as it did at the end of the 2023-24 season, when the club finished with a 47-35 record and fell in five quick games to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs.

Across 71 healthy contests (his most games played in a season since joining the Lakers), the 20-time All-Star averaged 25.7 points on .540/.410/.750 shooting splits, 8.3 assists, 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 0.5 blocks a night.

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