LeBron James To Become Free Agent Next Summer?

It’s hard to tell what LeBron James‘ next move will be, but quite honestly, there is likely no rush as far as he’s concerned.

James becomes eligible for a two-year, $97.1 contract extension on Thursday (Aug. 4), and by all accounts, he has not given the Lakers any idea what he will do.

But he doesn’t need to sign an extension right away. In fact, he has until June 30 of 2023 to decide his next move.

Granted, the Lakers hope that is sooner rather than later, given that they too are trying to figure out what they themselves need to do. Do they go all in and mortgage the future to win another title? Or do they start the process of retooling for the long term, with the possibility that James will be gone after the season?

Knowing James as we do, he likely will wait until the season plays out — or at least partially plays out — before he makes any sort of determination.

If he doesn’t sign an extension, he will again become a free agent. And if that’s the case you can be sure his hometown Cavaliers will be on his radar. Based on last season, their future looks a lot brighter than that of the Lakers.

The Cavs were one of the league’s youngest teams and despite a boatload of injuries to their core, were in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race all year. Their incredibly promising core includes the likes of All-Stars Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen, as well as All-Rookie member Evan Mobley.

Meanwhile, the Lakers entered the season with the oldest roster in NBA history and ended up as the league’s biggest disappointment after landing Russell Westbrook. Now, reports suggest, James has no interest in playing another year with Westbrook.

And make no mistake, the Lakers have made moving Westbrook a top offseason priority. But that has not been so easy, and without a real commitment from James, it’s hard for the Lakers to know what they should be seeking in return.

“The last thing the team would want to do is eat up its 2023-24 cap space on players it doesn’t value (in exchange for Westbrook) with James leaving as an unrestricted free agent,” wrote Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report.

Salary-cap expert Anil Gogna of No Trade Clause wrote that there are two realistic options involving James: 

Either don’t sign the extension and become an unrestricted free agent next summer; or sign a two-year deal with a player option in the second year.

James, 37, averaged a career-high 30.3 points last season, though he averaged his lowest assist numbers (6.2) in a decade.