The Los Angeles Lakers have a lengthy to-do list this offseason, and one item on that list is offering LeBron James a contract extension.
There has been a lot of talk that James might leave the Lakers once his current contract expires next summer. Many fans seem to want the team to trade him this offseason and start over. But there is absolutely no indication general manager Rob Pelinka would even entertain the thought of trading his franchise player.
During his exit interview, James said he hasn’t talked to Pelinka about an extension; the two sides cannot legally do so until August.
However, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report wrote that the four-time MVP hasn’t even talked internally about the possibility of signing a new contract with his representatives at Klutch Sports while adding what one NBA insider thinks James will ultimately do.
Via Bleacher Report:
“The marriage between LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers (33-49) is at a tenuous point. James has only one season left on his contract, and while he can sign a two-year extension in August, it’s unclear whether he will.
“‘Based on my conversations with people who have a strong sense of such things, it’s clear James is considering playing out this contract rather than signing a two-year extension this summer,’ Sam Amick of The Athletic recently wrote. ‘… [James] could go back to the year-by-year approach he perfected in his second Cleveland stop.’
“Sources at Klutch Sports insist those internal discussions on James’ future haven’t taken place yet. However, James was non-committal after his exit meeting with the team last week.”
Given the Lakers’ overall situation, it may be best for James to wait and see before even deciding if he wants to remain with the team past next season.
At age 37, it’s anyone’s guess how much longer he’ll be able to continue to play at a high level. He had three separate injuries this season, which may be an indication that his body is starting to break down after 19 NBA seasons.
If the Lakers manage to remake their roster into an elite one by midsummer, perhaps James will gladly sign an extension weeks later.
One thing for Lakers fans to be hopeful about is a comment that Brian Windhorst, a journalist who has followed James’ entire career since high school, recently made.
Via Sports Illustrated:
“I don’t think he wants to move,” Windhorst said of James. “He wants to have his cake and eat it, too.”
