10 Lakers mid-level exception targets if LeBron James indeed takes discount on his next contract

LeBron James is reportedly willing to leave money on the table

By Sam Quinn Jun 29, 2024 at 3:03 pm ET• 10 min read

When LeBron James signed with the Miami Heat in 2010, he did so at a salary below his max in order to help the team put a proper roster around him. He was also, at around this time, a leader within the NBPA, and he saw the impact this had on his fellow players. Owners from other teams were able to nudge their own stars towards taking discounts because, hey, if LeBron James isn't earning the max, why should you? When he returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014, he vowed to make the max from that point. He has done so ever since, and the Los Angeles Lakers have reportedly been willing to pay him max money this offseason if he wants it.

However, a new report from Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes suggests that James, for the first time in a decade, might be willing to take less if it helps the Lakers unlock the full mid-level exception to use on certain free agent targets. Doing so, in financial terms for James, would be costly. 

Any team that uses the full mid-level exception hard caps itself at the first apron. That figure is projected to come in at $178,655,000. As of this moment, the Lakers have $127,338,024 committed to 11 players: Anthony Davis, D'Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt, Jalen Hood-Schifino, Christian Wood, Jaxson Hayes, Cam Reddish and Maxwell Lewis. We then add $3,830,280 as 120% of the scale amount for No. 17 overall pick Dalton Knecht (the industry standard is for rookies to make 120% of their scale figure, but technically they can go as low as 80%). We then add another $1,160,544, which is the projected rookie minimum for Bronny James. Finally, we throw in $12,859,000, the most recent projection for the non-taxpayer mid-level amount, which would go to whoever the Lakers are targeting. 

Under this scenario, the Lakers would be able to pay James $33,467,152 next season, which would be roughly an $18 million pay cut from what his player option could have paid him. In reality, the Lakers would probably be paying him slightly less than that to maintain a little bit of flexibility for things like 10-day contracts and possible trades, to say nothing of re-signing Max Christie. Now, it's worth noting that many of these figures are projections and could change. The Lakers could also trade out a bit of salary to help pay James a bit more, though, to be honest, if he is willing to take a significant pay cut, he would probably rather they use any excess salary in trades for a significant upgrade. However you slice it, though, James would have to take a meaningful pay cut for this plan to be feasible.