LeBron James is exercising his $52.6 million player option for next season, his agent Rich Paul told ESPN on Sunday, but an accompanying statement by the Klutch Sports CEO puts a real question mark on whether James will play that season with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Paul told ESPN that James is evaluating what’s best for him at this stage of his career as the Lakers build for the future. According to Shams Charania, James is uncertain about the Lakers roster. Though he’s supportive of the team building its future around Luka Doncic, he wants to contend for an NBA title.
“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Paul said. “He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with Jeanie [Buss] and Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.
“We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what’s best for him.”
If nothing else, this statement puts pressure on the Lakers to make more win-now moves this offseason in order to keep James. But it sure sounds like a potential split is on the table..
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