August 4 is a big day for the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James. It’s the day that James became eligible to sign an extension with the team — a max deal for the former league MVP comes out to $97.1 million over the next two seasons, and would mean James extends his stay with the Lakers through the 2024-25 campaign.
The issue, to whatever extent it is an issue, is that the two sides did not immediately agree to an extension. In an appearance on SportsCenter on Thursday, ESPN reporter Dave McMenamin indicated that this might not get resolved right away, even if both sides have a vested interest in keeping this from dragging into the regular season.
“I’m told nothing is imminent [in regards to a LeBron James extension with the Lakers.]… You can see LeBron’s camp wait to see how things play out with the Los Angeles Lakers’ roster leading up to training camp.”
— Dave McMenaminpic.twitter.com/SwkAWffzuv
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) August 4, 2022
“I’m told nothing is imminent,” McMenamin said. “As you mentioned, this extension window goes until June 30, and so you can see LeBron’s camp wait to see how things play out with the Los Angeles Lakers’ roster leading up to training camp. Now, I think both parties would like to put this to bed before the ’22-23 season begins, because if they don’t, it will be a year-long distraction — trying to figure out body language, trying to parse out the comments he makes after wins and losses to see if that can be a glimpse into his future.”
McMenamin then went on to lay out the things that are important to James right now, which include trying to win another title and his long-held hopes of taking the floor with his oldest son, Bronny, who is eligible to come to the NBA in 2024. Both of these things will be part of the conversations when the Lakers and James’ camp sit down to talk about an extension.
If the two sides cannot figure something out, James would be slated to hit unrestricted free agency at the conclusion of the 2022-23 season.