Lakers News: How Los Angeles Plans to Approach LeBron James' Future

The Purple and Gold All-Star remains surprisingly good, even ahead of Year 22.

Apr 27, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) drives against Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) during the first quarter in game four of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports / Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Lakers superstar forward LeBron James has emerged as one of the top potential free agents on the market this summer — despite being 39 years old and on the verge of his record-tying 22nd pro season.

According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Lakers will be happy to give James any deal he wants. Due to the latest CBA's new Over-38 Rule, the most James can be re-signed for is a three-year deal, notes Sam Quinn of CBS Sports. Maximally, he would pick up his $51.4 million player option with the Lakers for 2024-25, and with baked-in yearly 8% raises, he'd earn a total of $164.3 million through the 2026-27 season on the deal, when he'd turn 42 midseason.

Buha reports that James hopes to play just one or two more years, however, which would still take him to a record-setting 23rd season, but would theoretically cap his earnings at $105.7 million over those two seasons.

The 6-foot-9 big man may not be the most dominant force in the NBA anymore, but he remains one of the league's best 25 or so players. The 20-time All-NBA and All-Star honoree was healthier than he had been since the 2019-20 season, appearing in 71 regular season contests. James averaged 25.7 points on a .540/.410/.750 slash line, 8.3 assists, 7.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 0.5 blocks a night.

More Lakers: Another Rumored Lakers Coach Candidate Given Permission to Interview… with Cleveland