LeBron James’ $53 million Decision Irks Lakers Fans Amid Trade, Free Agency Rumors

LeBron James opted into the player option for his contract worth $53 million and takes up the Lakers' cap space.

LeBron James’ $53 million Decision Irks Lakers Fans Amid Trade, Free Agency Rumors

LeBron James (Image via FirstSportz)

When the Lakers traded Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic, they gave a signal about a change in times. For over six years, they centered LeBron James within their plans and attempted to try and contend. But with Doncic in town now, they will be able to take a more long-term view than with Davis alongside James. AD is now 32 years old, going on 33, and his championship contention window will be a lot shorter.

However, the team made a lot of noise in the first month of Luka Doncic and LeBron James together. A few people thought that they had shown enough by grabbing the third seed to warrant contender status. But this notion was put to rest when Anthony Edwards and co made short work of them, beating them in five games. It is clear now that the Lakers are a few pieces away from being genuine NBA title contenders.

To this end, the first step they would’ve had to take would be to get a viable big man. The team had a good run with Jaxson Hayes as its starting center in the regular season, but he got played off the floor in the playoffs. The team will look at options like Onyeka Okongwu and Daniel Gafford, but they missed their chance at Mark Williams, who is now a member of the Phoenix Suns.

Meanwhile, LeBron James isn’t helping his front office, having picked up his supermax player option for $53 million. This leaves the Lakers little room to improve the squad around Luka Doncic in 2025-26. It is an indictment of their luxury tax status, even though they’ll receive some relief with Mark Walter taking over and infusing cash into the team.

LeBron James has every right to try and make as much money as he’s owed. After all, he has nothing to prove except his place among the NBA’s pantheon greats and legends. He’s playing the game because he’s good at it, but at this point, he’ll never be a better player than he used to be. Taking a paycut would go against his instincts as someone who grew up with nothing as an inner city kid.

Lakers fans are mad about LeBron James opting in to his player option

However, unlike James, Lakers fans also have a lot at stake. This is a team that went against the grain and broke up its 2019-20 championship roster the summer after an Anthony Davis injury put paid to their chances of defending their title. They haven’t even sniffed a title in the while, only winning two playoff series against teams they had clear matchup advantages against.

LeBron James resumes workouts after knee injury
LeBron James (Image via Open Source/X)

There is a huge element of discontent within the fanbase with James, whose five straight seasons of playoff shortcomings are now coming home to roost. The Lakers are a fanbase with very high standards, having some of the most successful teams and players in their hallowed history. James’ inclination to only look out for himself has led to him getting stick from these members.

LeBron James ran from the grind the first time around when he formed the superteam in Miami. He’s now running from the grind by refusing to take on championship expectations in his final seasons. Which is something Lakers fans will have to learn to live with.

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