Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is set to become an unrestricted free agent in the offseason, giving him the ability to sign with any team.
However, James can’t necessarily make the same amount of money with any team he chooses, as some squads don’t have the cap room to offer him a major deal.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst recently shared that James is “not prepared” to take a pay cut down to just $3 million in the 2026-27 season to join a team like the Cleveland Cavaliers.
"To my knowledge, LeBron is not prepared to take that kind of pay cut," – @WindhorstESPN breaks down the potential of a Cavs and LeBron reunion. https://t.co/6Req7aneby pic.twitter.com/BFlHGPWT6p
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) May 26, 2026
“I see people out there, not just Cleveland people, but people saying, ‘Oh, LeBron could sign with the [Golden State] Warriors,’ or, ‘LeBron could sign with the [Miami] Heat,’ or, ‘LeBron could sign with the Cavs,’” Windhorst said. “This is not Aaron Rodgers, where you can wait and then they’ve got 25 million in cap space just laying around.
“The Cavs, today, can sign LeBron for $3 million. Three. He made 54 this year, okay? To my knowledge, LeBron is not prepared to take that type of pay cut.”
Windhorst’s report is in line with that of another NBA insider – Jake Fischer – who shared earlier this month that the idea of James taking the veteran minimum to sign with a team isn’t in the cards “at all.”
It makes sense that the 41-year-old is looking for a bigger deal, as he’s one of the greatest players in league history and still producing at a high level even after 23 seasons in the league.
James played 60 games in the 2025-26 regular season after missing the start of the campaign with sciatica. The star forward was named to yet another All-Star team, and he averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game while shooting 51.5 percent from the field and 31.7 percent from 3.
Then, James was the driving force behind the Lakers’ first-round series win over the Houston Rockets, as star guard Austin Reaves missed four games of that series while fellow star Luka Doncic didn’t play.
Overall, James finished the playoffs averaging 23.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 7.3 assists per contest across 10 games.
The Lakers could certainly decide to bring James back in free agency, and it looks like a team may have to make a considerable offer to pry him away from Los Angeles if he does decide to return for a 24th NBA season.
James spent multiple stints earlier in his career with the Cavs, winning a title with the franchise in the 2015-16 season, but it seems unlikely he’ll return to Cleveland unless the team can clear enough space to offer him a bigger deal.
