For all the eye new Lakers rent JJ Redick obtained at his introductory press convention Monday, the largest little bit of Lakers information fell under the fold in ESPN insider Dave McMenamin’s report of the afternoon in L.A.: The Lakers are ready to supply LeBron James a three-year max contract extension, which might be valued at north of $160 million.
James has till June 29 to choose in to the ultimate yr of his present contract, which might pay him $51.4M for the upcoming season, however the expectation is that he’ll forgo that participant possibility and turn out to be a free agent. Must you be questioning concerning the three-year max, it is as a result of James is 39 (the over-38 rule stipulates that no participant over that age can signal for greater than three years.
Ought to James choose out and signal the three-year max, the Lakers can be paying him via his age-41 season. Does he have three extra years within the tank? Or may LeBron want one-year offers, maximizing short-term incomes energy with annual will increase within the wage cap moderately than taking the safety of what would seemingly be the ultimate long-term deal of his profession? That is nonetheless a query.
However the Lakers are apparently ready to facilitate no matter contract construction James prefers, which solely is smart contemplating how nice he nonetheless is and the win-now mode through which the Lakers are working as James’ profession clock begins to tick louder and louder. It is not about three years from now for the Lakers. It is about this season.
Plus, the Lakers cannot afford to fiddle with James, who could have loads of suitors. The Philadelphia 76ers have max cap house and, frankly, a extra ready-made contender than the Lakers if LeBron got here aboard. The Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder, who would even be a much bigger risk to win the title with LeBron than the presently constructed Lakers, can get to max house fairly simply. So can the Orlando Magic.
That is to say nothing of the sign-and-trade potentialities if LeBron begins throwing his weight round and is threatening to go away for nothing. LeBron is likely to be 39, however he nonetheless has just about all of the leverage right here. The Lakers cannot rent Redick after which lose LeBron. They should safe their celebrity after which go about their annual hunt for an additional one to hitch James and Anthony Davis.
