(Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Lakers have officially kept LeBron James in town.
The four-time NBA champion put an end to all the speculation about his future by inking his signature on a two-year contract.
James was expected to sign a max contract worth $104 million.
Nonetheless, he took one for the team with a small pay cut.
According to a report by Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the deal will be almost $3 million short of what was originally reported.
LeBron James takes a nearly $3 million discount to keep the Lakers under the second apron, per @ShamsCharania. https://t.co/DaKjrcXD7n
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) July 7, 2024
That way, Jeanie Buss and the Lakers will stay under the second apron of the salary tax.
That’s pretty much pocket change for a literal billionaire like LeBron James, but it could have huge financial implications for his team.
The new CBA inflicts severe penalties — both financially and in terms of limitations — on teams going over the luxury tax, especially for repeated offenders.
There were reports about James looking forward to taking a $20 million pay cut to help the Lakers get another star in the offseason.
However, those reports were either inaccurate, or other players didn’t seem to care about it, as, once again, the Lakers swung and missed on most of their targets.
That made the whole pay cut report pretty meaningless, which is why he went for — almost — the full pie instead.
The Lakers have more questions than answers entering the season, and they shouldn’t be considered a top-notch team by any means.
Still, any team with LeBron James on the court will always have a chance to win any game.
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