The reported changing of majority ownership of the Lakers will not factor into any decisions LeBron James will make this summer.
As has been the case for multiple summers now, LeBron James will spend the start of the offseason deciding his future with the Lakers.
At the age of 40, he is the oldest player in the NBA and must choose whether to opt into his contract, decline and negotiate a new deal with the Lakers or someone else or retire altogether.
That’s a lot of options on the table.
With the Buss family reportedly selling their majority ownership of the Lakers to Mark Walters, would this change impact his decision? Dave McMenamin of ESPN appeared on SportsCenter Wednesday night and stated that a change in power in Los Angeles is a non-factor for James.
“I’m told that one person that this decision to sell the team has no bearing on his decision moving forward with the Lakers is LeBron James. He still has a decision at the end of the month to decide whether to opt in for next year’s contract worth about $56 million or opt out and become a free agent.
“This decision by the Lakers to sell the team has no bearing on where LeBron is going to choose to go next year. And, again, we’ve been given no indication thus far that LeBron won’t be a Laker next season.”
This is great news for the Lakers.
As McMenamin has said, LeBron remaining a Laker is still the most likely outcome for next season, and Mr. Walter becoming the new majority owner does not seem to have altered that assumption.
Previous reports have indicated that LeBron is likely to opt into his contract for next season, and there has been no change on that front either.
While LeBron can always make a shocking decision or change his mind, so far it seems that this historic sale will not impact the odds that the franchise’s biggest star will remain with the team.
In fact, McMenamin has also reported that LeBron and Luka Dončić are excited about the Lakers’ sale and the organization’s future.
At this point, it’s just a waiting game, as LeBron has until June 29 to decide if he will opt into his deal or not.
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