LeBron ‘Would Consider’ Taking Less Than Max From Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers spent this summer doing what they could to make sure LeBron James and Anthony Davis were happy. They fired Darvin Ham, who didn’t exactly get a strong vote of confidence from his stars, and hired JJ Redick, who hosted a podcast with James in the second half of the season.

In the draft, after taking Dalton Knecht in the first round, they used the 55th pick to take Bronny James and give LeBron the chance to fulfill his dream of playing NBA games with his son. Saturday was the deadline for players and teams to accept or decline contract options, and as most expected, LeBron declined his $51.4 million option to officially enter free agency — in the hopes that he will re-sign in Los Angeles.

There have been rumors that James could get a three-year deal with the Lakers, as the soon-to-be 40-year-old could play for a few more years. The question is how much of the Lakers’ money will end up tied up in the NBA’s oldest player, and according to Chris Haynes, James will “consider” taking less than the max to free up the full mid-level exception so the Lakers can add more talent to the roster.

James would likely need to see a comprehensive plan from Rob Pelinka and management for how they will use that money. He could also use it as a bargaining chip to pressure the Lakers to be more aggressive in the trade market by using their future picks to acquire immediate talent. If he was willing to take less and open up the midrange to add a quality rotation player, and the Lakers could add an upgrade on the trade market, that would certainly make them a more formidable contender West. We’ll see if Pelinka and the Lakers executives can come up with a plan that encourages James enough in their vision to accept a smaller contract (but perhaps with that third year) to see if LA could strengthen their roster.