We knew that LeBron James was going to extend his contract with the Lakers, but we were waiting to see the terms of his new contract. With a new deal of $104 million over two years, the King took the max while obtaining a player option and a no-transfer clause. Maximum flexibility for the King… and minimum for the Lakers.
LeBron James had JJ Redick as his coach. He watched his son Bronny James get drafted to the Lakers. And on Wednesday, he got a contract that gives him complete control over his career ending.
By signing a new two-year, $104 million maximum deal, the King will not only become the first player to accumulate $500 million in salary over his entire career, but it is above all the terms of the contract that give him full power. James and his agent Rich Paul have obtained a:
- Player option on the second year of contract (2025-26 season)
- Non-transfer clause
The player option will allow James to become a free agent in 2025 if he wants (and if he plans to leave Los Angeles for various reasons), or extend it for an additional year at $53 million. He can even decide to hang up his sneakers in a year if he wants. The Lakers will have no say in the King’s choice regarding his future, especially since the latter now has a no-trade clause.
With Bradley Beal (Suns), LeBron James becomes only the second player in the current NBA to have a no-transfer clause. This allows the player to block any attempt at a transfer by the franchise. In other words, the Lakers cannot transfer the King without his prior agreement. There is therefore no scenario in which the Californian franchise tries to trade LeBron in order to receive compensation to possibly go in a new direction. As a reminder, there were some rumors last February about a potential deal sending James to the Warriors.
Bottom line: LeBron James has maximum flexibility. The complete opposite of the Lakers.
We are continuing the Player Option model for LeBron, so he will have 2 years integrating a PO in year 2.
If the Lakers management does not make progress in his recruitment, a departure may be possible.
But for now: LeBron and Bronny will play on the same team.
— TrashTalk (@TrashTalk_fr) July 3, 2024
LeBron also joins Bradley Beal in the very exclusive club of players with a no-trade clause.
You don’t separate the father from the son.
And we’re going to experience a little circus again next year at Free Agency, if things go badly for the Lakers.
— TrashTalk (@TrashTalk_fr) July 3, 2024
Lakers flirt with “second apron”
Remember when LeBron James was supposedly considering taking a discount on his new contract to allow the Lakers to bolster their roster? That seems like a long time ago now.
While the Los Angeles franchise missed out on the main Free Agency issues (Klay Thompson in particular), James finally opted for a two-year max contract (104 million). And the financial consequences for the Lakers are immediate:
LA Lakers: Post LeBron James signing
The Lakers are slightly above the $188.9M second apron. pic.twitter.com/WuKReX9iPa
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) July 3, 2024
With $190 million in payroll, the Lakers are now just above the much-feared “second apron,” which severely penalizes the NBA’s biggest spending teams. We’re not going to list all the restrictions related to this second apron, but know that it severely limits teams’ room to maneuver in terms of transfers, signings in free agency, and even the draft. It’s no coincidence that the Clippers or the Warriors—who have spent a lot in recent years—let Paul George and Klay Thompson go for peanuts.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski ofESPNthe James camp would be ready to make a “sacrifice” of one million dollars to allow the Lakers to fall just below the second apron, set at 189 million, and thus avoid the heavy consequences that accompany it. But even in this case, the flexibility of the Lakers to improve the roster will remain very limited. As a reminder, teams that are above the luxury tax (171 million) and the “first apron” (178 million) cannot:
- recruit a player via sign-and-trade;
- use an already existing trade exception;
- make a trade in which they take in more wages than they pay out;
- recruit a player cut during the regular season (buyout) who had a minimum salary of 12.8 million.
Rules of the apron
The apron restrictions are based on salaries post transaction. pic.twitter.com/8ErRGKFuT5
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) July 3, 2024
But then, what do the Lakers have left to recruit?
They still have draft capital, and can trade two first-round picks (and second-round picks) in a trade to try to bolster their position. If they become a first-round team as expected, they can also use the $5.8 million taxpayer mid-level exception, but that will push them back into the second-round. The Lakers will also be able to sign players with a veteran minimum salary.
“They’re very close to the dreaded second apron. That’s going to limit their ability to add players. You can probably take DeMar DeRozan (free agent) off the list. The current roster is probably the roster they’ll have when the season opens in late October.” – Bobby Marks, salary cap expert for ESPN
In the end, there is a good chance that the Lakers will start again with roughly the same roster as last season, with their strengths and weaknesses. Could the arrival of new coach JJ Redick make a difference? Maybe. But it is hard to see this roster competing with the best teams in the West next year.
Source texte : ESPN
2024-07-03 14:59:00
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