When LeBron James picked up his player option, Los Angeles Lakers fans went nuts, but in reality, a recent quote from a front office executive just revealed that the team is more than happy to simply have the superstar back in town.
“Whenever you sign a player to a deal with an option, you [are] willing [to] give them the control to initially guide the situation,” a Los Angeles front office executive told Keith Smith of Spotrac. “But this notion that a player option gives the player all of the power, is pretty silly. If they opt out, the team is then a partner in re-signing them or not. If they opt in, then the team is a partner in whatever happens next too. For LeBron, he had a player option and made his decision to opt in. We’re just happy that he’s still a Laker.”
The Lakers knew what they were getting into.
What does LeBron James’ player option mean?
James wants to compete for championships. That much has always been clear. By picking up his player option, he’s putting a bit of pressure on the Lakers to add pieces right now, as he could enter unrestricted free agency next season.
Had he signed an extension, which the Lakers supposedly didn’t offer him, he would have been under team control for longer, but now, the Lakers will likely have to prioritize being competitive in the short-term (and the long-term, because of Luka Doncic).
The news that James picked up his player option came with a stern message from his agent, Rich Paul:
"LeBron wants to compete for a championship," Paul told ESPN. "He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we've had for eight years with Jeanie [Buss] and Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.
"We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what's best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what's best for him."
But based on this quote that Smith relayed, they are okay with how things went down. They aren’t worried about it at all. While they likely weren’t certain that James was going to pick up his player option, they are just glad to have him back in LA, wearing purple and gold, for next season.
There doesn’t seem to be any beef, and if the quote is any indication, the Lakers still feel as though they have a great partnership with James.