The Los Angeles Lakers' ideal offseason includes signing LeBron James to a team-friendly contract. The problem is, LeBron deserves far more money than that on his next deal, and everyone knows it.
ESPN's Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst published a recent story that cited an Eastern Conference team executive saying the following about LeBron, as it pertains to James' value:
"By our metrics, he remains a top-25 player in the league and if not for his age, we'd probably assess him at near max player level. Our coaches would tell you he ranks even higher than that when his legs and back are feeling good."
LeBron James is still seen as a top-25 player in the NBA
It's hard to argue with this top-25 (or better) assessment for James, who was clearly the best player on the floor during the Lakers-Houston Rockets first-round playoff series. Moreover, James was an All-Star this past season, and, as Windhorst alluded to in the article, LeBron may have made an All-NBA team this season had he played in five more games to qualify.
LeBron's numbers this year -- 20.9 points, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds -- have to be adjusted for role deflation (Bron was playing alongside Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves), and James' playoff production proved that he can still operate as an alpha offensive force when needed (23.2 points, 7.3 assists and 6.7 rebounds per game in 10 playoff contests).
The unnamed Eastern Conference strategist cited above is right -- LeBron is absolutely still a top-25 player in the league. No one who watches the NBA could tell you with a straight face that, if the entire league were to have a re-draft today for a life-or-death knockout tournament starting today, that James wouldn't be among the top-25 selections in that draft.
LeBron James still deserves to get paid like an NBA superstar
Especially since LeBron might be looking for a one-year deal (he's 41 years old, let's remind ourselves), Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka might have a tough time convincing James to take a cheap contract this summer.
But a cheap deal is the only thing Pelinka can offer LeBron if the Lakers want to fill their other roster holes, or even attempt to. For months, Lakers Nation has been looking ahead to this very moment, when Pelinka was supposed to embark on his first moves to build a sustainable contender around Luka. LeBron taking max money (or anything close to it) would delay that moment by another calendar year or more. The Lakers would be stuck in purgatory, where they operated this past season, and, well, ever since they acquired Doncic.
Had LeBron suffered a big injury in 2025-26 or underperformed in the postseason, Pelinka might have some narrative to point to suggesting that Bron is declining and thus deserves less money. None of that happened, however, and while there aren't many (or any) teams in great position to land LeBron on a big-money deal (besides the Bulls and Nets, teams Bron doesn't make sense for), that doesn't change the reality of James' value, which is greater than the Lakers can afford to pay.
This puts Pelinka in an impossible position. He can't possibly convince LeBron that he's worth any less than a big deal. The only move is to see if LeBron is willing to take a pay cut for other reasons, such as his desire to stay in LA near his family and/or his relationship with JJ Redick. Unfortunately for Pelinka and the Lakers, money tends to speak louder than all of the above.
Add us as a preferred source on Google