LeBron James’ Lakers future tied to LA’s pursuit of a star free agent

LeBron James has gotten just about everything he’s wanted from the Los Angeles Lakers this summer. First, the franchise fired head coach Darvin Ham and replaced him with former NBA sharpshooter J.J. Redick — who, coincidentally or not, has a podcast with James called “Mind the Game.” The Lakers also selected LeBron’s son, Bronny, with the 55th pick in the 2024 draft, meaning the Jameses could become the first-ever father-son duo to suit up at the same time.

Now, attention is turning to what LeBron himself will do this summer. The King is opting out of his contract with Los Angeles and will not exercise the $51 million option in his two-year deal, but most expect he will re-sign with the Lakers on amended terms in the coming weeks, now that free agency has officially started. And LeBron’s agent has implied that the Lakers could convince him to take a paycut if they finalize certain other transactions.

According to insider Brian Windhorst, LeBron would consider taking less money to re-sign in Los Angeles if he had the chance to play with free agent forward DeMar DeRozan, a six-time All-Star who averaged 24 points per game for Chicagolast season.

The 34-year-old DeRozan is one of a handful of players that LeBron would be willing to take less money to play alongside — but James Harden and Jonas Valanciunas, two other players on LeBron’s wishlist, have already signed elsewhere.