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

The statement his agent gave to Rich Paul gave sounds a lot like a player open to being traded if he doesn't like the team's offseason.
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LeBron James picks up $52.6 million player option with Lakers for next season
By
Kurt Helin,
By
Kurt Helin
Published June 29, 2025 11:50 AM
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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.”
That sounds a lot like LeBron is open to changing teams if he doesn’t like the Lakers’ offseason. LeBron is also the king of passive-aggressive threats to try to get a team to spend money in the offseason.
Rating: 5