Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is eligible to sign an extension with the franchise, and while some hope that he will leave the team in the near future, it seems like he’ll be staying in Los Angeles for a little while longer.
“All signs point toward both sides looking to extend their partnership together,” ESPN’s Dave McMenamin said. “It’s already led to one championship in 2020. It’s also led to two playoff appearances where they didn’t make it, but overall I think both sides recognize that they can help one another get to their mutual goal, which is to compete at a high level and stay relevant as both one of the best players in the NBA and one of the most marquee franchises in the NBA.”
Despite the Lakers struggling in back-to-back season, James is apparently “extremely happy” being in Los Angeles. Multiple sources reportedly believe that he will end up inking an extension with the Lakers.
The 18-time All-Star has just one season left on his current contract and is set to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2023.
While he continues to get up there in age, James has shown that he is still one of the best players in the league. Last season, he recorded 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game while knocking down 52.4 percent of his shots from the field and 35.9 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc.
During the 2021-22 campaign, the Lakers went 33-49 and missed out on the postseason entirely. The organization has made multiple changes to the roster this offseason in hopes that the team will get back to being a title contender.
Of course, the four-time NBA champion will need to stay healthy if the Lakers want to have a shot at making it back to the Finals this season. He’s dealt with a plethora of injuries over the past two seasons, and that hasn’t helped the Lakers at all.
