LeBron James picks up $52.6 million player option with Lakers for next season

As had been rumored for a few weeks now, LeBron James has picked up his $52.6 million player option to return to the Los Angeles Lakers next season. Sunday was the deadline for LeBron to pick up his option.

LeBron’s agent Rich Paul made this statement to ESPN’s Shams Charania, who broke the news:

“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Paul told ESPN. “He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with Jeanie [Buss] and Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.

“We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what’s best for him.”

In the last few years in Los Angeles, LeBron would opt out of that final year and then re-sign with the Lakers on a new two- or three-year deal with a player option at the end, which helped LeBron leverage in the organization. Choosing to opt into his player option and be a free agent next summer is a change in strategy, and the tone of Paul’s statement was, essentially, “let’s see what this looks like a year from now.”

A year from now, LeBron James will be 41 and there is some speculation that this season, his 23rd (while wearing No. 23, and with the All-Star Game in Los Angeles) could be his last. LeBron has said nothing about this yet other than that he and his family need to discuss it. He is far more likely to make that announcement and embark on a farewell tour of sorts, rather than simply decide to walk away, as Tim Duncan did.

That said, LeBron is still a top-10 player in the league. Last season he averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds per game, shot 37.6% from beyond the arc, and was named Second Team All-NBA.

The Lakers are in a transition phase after the stunning trade for Luka Doncic — the 25-year-old is now the future of the franchise. The Lakers are making offseason moves to bring in players who will thrive next to Doncic (such as a rim-running center, the team’s top offseason priority). The Lakers can offer Doncic an extension on Aug. 2 and will make a max offer to him then.

With Doncic, LeBron and Austin Reaves, the Lakers have a core that can make noise in the Western Conference next season if they have the right depth around them. Los Angeles won 50 games and finished as the No. 3 seed in the West last season (only to fall to Minnesota in the first round of the playoffs). A similar regular season finish, combined with a better playoff run, is the team’s goal next season, they seen themselves as contenders.

LeBron has spent the start of his offseason recovering from a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his left knee, which he suffered in the Lakers’ final playoff game against Minnesota.