REPORT: LeBron James Did His Ground Work To Leave Lakers Before Finalizing $97.1 Million Extension Deal – Here’s Why He Stayed

Lakers superstar LeBron James is creating another record for the history books. With only a year left on his contract, LeBron negotiated a two-year extension with the Lakers worth $97.1 Million. This would make him the highest-paid player in NBA history. But there is actually a reason why LeBron negotiated a deal with the Lakers and this shows you how smart ‘The King’ actually is.

LeBron joined the Lakers back in 2019, and he extended his contract in 2021. This left him with only one year left on his current contract. Speculation was rife that LeBron could actually leave the Lakers after this season and some went as far as to say that he may be traded. But he put that all to bed with a two-year extension.

The real reason why LeBron James extended his contract

After all the turmoil and unrest last season, the Lakers had done very little to improve their roster. Despite having signed a new head coach in Darvin Ham, the Lakers have not made any big moves. The Lakers have tested out the market but so far haven’t made any moves that can make them into contenders.

Amidst all this, rumors started that LeBron might leave the Lakers at the end of his deal. He wanted the Lakers to do more and get back to winning ways. But LeBron has also stated that he wants to finish his career at the Lakers. Experts say that he doesn’t plan on leaving any time soon.

But the real reason LeBron signed the extension is actually far off. Sources suggest that LeBron did not find teams with cap space to sign him appealing enough. LeBron was set to enter unrestricted free agency and the teams that could have signed him were just enticing enough. So, LeBron made his decision to stick with the Lakers and earn another massive payday as a result.

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The Lakers need to make more moves

Last season was an absolute disaster for the Lakers. First, the experiment with Russell Westbrook failed miserably. Then they dealt with injuries to Anthony Davis who missed more than half the season and LeBron who missed over 20 games. And they just couldn’t make it work.

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Despite calls to blow up the team and build it again, the Lakers decided to give it another try. The new head coach, Darvin Ham, has come out and raved about Westbrook and he has called for unity in the squad. The Lakers were the oldest team in the league and they had fixed that with some young signings.

Still, the roster needs to be reworked. The Lakers have been in conversation to trade away Westbrook, but so far have not struck a deal. With a season starting in a little over two months, the Lakers will need to find a way to build a winning team around LeBron. Otherwise, they will be wasting the last few years of arguably the greatest player of all time, who has shown no signs of slowing down yet.