Lakers prepared to offer LeBron James three-year, $160 million max contract, per report

James is expected to forgo the final year of his current contract and become a free agent

By Brad Botkin Jun 25, 2024 at 2:05 am ET• 1 min read

For all the attention new Lakers hire JJ Redick received at his introductory press conference Monday, the biggest bit of Lakers news fell below the fold in ESPN insider Dave McMenamin's report of the afternoon in L.A.: The Lakers are prepared to offer LeBron James a three-year max contract extension, which would be valued at north of $160 million. 

James has until June 29 to opt in to the final year of his current contract, which would pay him $51.4M for the upcoming season, but the expectation is that he'll forgo that player option and become a free agent. Should you be wondering about the three-year max, it's because James is 39 (the over-38 rule stipulates that no player over that age can sign for more than three years).

Should James opt out and sign the three-year max, the Lakers would be paying him through his age-41 season. Does he have three more years in the tank? Or might LeBron prefer one-year deals, maximizing short-term earning power with annual increases in the salary cap rather than taking the security of what would likely be the final long-term deal of his career? That's still a question.