To build a contending roster for 2026-27, the Los Angeles Lakers cannot afford to pay LeBron James a large salary. There's no hiding from the fact that Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka must find a way to convince LeBron to sacrifice for the Lakers' greater good and take a team-friendly deal this summer. And Pelinka might have a powerful bargaining chip in his pocket in the form of Lakers head coach JJ Redick.
LeBron is close with Redick, and it's not crazy to suggest that James would prefer to play for Redick over any other head coach in the NBA at this point. Beyond their friendship, Redick clearly knows how to effectively coach LeBron the basketball player. James has done nothing but thrive under Redick, despite being north of 40 for most of their player-coach tenure.
ESPN reminds us that LeBron has great relationship with JJ Redick
ESPN's Dave McMenamin recently published a report suggesting that the Lakers organization as a whole doesn't have a warm and fuzzy relationship with LeBron, but Redick is an outlier in that situation.
"James has a "great" relationship with Redick, sources close to [LeBron] say," McMenamin wrote, "with one telling ESPN that Redick's hiring is "one thing the Lakers got right."
JJ Redick's presence is a big reason for LeBron to return to Lakers
LeBron has a couple of reasons to leave the Lakers. 1) It's possible that another team could pay him more, especially given LA's cap constraints (they have to pay Austin Reaves max money and have a plethora of other roster needs). And 2) It's possible that LeBron could join another team with a better chance of contending than the 2026-27 Lakers. If James wants to win another championship before his career is over, staying in LA doesn't give him the best possible shot.
But for a guy with nothing left to prove in this sport, ring-chasing doesn't sound like a good idea. While the money factor might tempt LeBron to go elsewhere, the Redick factor isn't the only string pulling James back to LA. His family resides in Los Angeles, and he reportedly loves the city. From a quality of life standpoint, there isn't an NBA team out there (besides the Clippers) that can compete with the Lakers for LeBron's services, especially at this point in his life and career, where priorities have likely shifted toward an even more familial emphasis than before.
Pelinka will need all the leveraging magic he can muster in negotiations with LeBron and Rich Paul. For James -- still an All-Star-caliber player -- to take a significantly reduced salary will likely not be an idea that Paul is in love with. Pelinka is probably hoping that LeBron feels differently. Maybe Redick should be in the room during these conversations!
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