NEW DEAL
LeBron James’ contract details leaked with Los Angeles Lakers star taking pay cut to help team sign ‘impact player’
Lakers coach dismisses claims over drafting of LeBron's son Bronny
LOS Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is taking a pay cut.
The 39-year-old, who is going into his 22nd NBA season, wants the Lakers to sign an "impact player".
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James signed a two-year extension worth $101.35 million, though it's a deal that could have been worth $104 million, according to ESPN.
It's clearly not the most dramatic of pay cuts, and perhaps more symbolic than anything else.
It is the first time in more than a decade that James has signed a deal below the maximum level.
ESPN has reported he wants to help the Lakers avoid salary cap restrictions in the future.
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It has also been reported by The Athletic that the deal also comes with a player option and a 15 percent trade kicker.
LeBron's agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, has stated he wants the Lakers to acquire an “impact player."
LeBron is set to play with son Bronny on the Lakers team in the 2024-25 season.
The pair will be the first father and son duo to play together on the same NBA team.
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The older James had opted out of the final year of his $51.4 million contract last month.
But he then re-signed with the Lakers after they selected Bronny with the No.55 overall pick in the NBA Draft.
'It's about time!' LeBron James greets teammates ahead of first Olympics in 12 years as NBA legend targets gold in Paris
LeBron will turn 40 at the end of this year.
He has won four NBA Championships in his storied career with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Lakers.
The Lakers will be determined to have a strong season coming up, especially after seeing the Boston Celtics claim the NBA title.
That success for Celtics was their 18th, putting them above the Lakers in the all-time standings.
The Lakers, meanwhile, lost to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs.
What the new TV deal means for the NBA?
By The U.S. Sun's Assistant Sports Editor Damian Burchardt.
THE new TV rights deal is promising to be a humongous win for NBA players.
The league is set to more than double the revenue coming from its media partners, pocketing about $6.9 billion per year, which will inevitably lead to a huge salary cap spike in 2025-26.
That is going to send the value of player contracts skyrocketing.
Projected figures suggest we might see the first $100 million-per-year deal being signed soon.
Currently, Boston Celtics All-Star Jayson Tatum is projected to earn the highest single-season salary in NBA history, collecting $71.5 million in 2029-30.
It does feel like basketball fans would be on the losing side of the fight if the NBA and TNT indeed parted ways, though.
Inside the NBA is a one-of-a-kind sports entertainment show, as evidenced by ESPN's ongoing failure to come up with its own version of the program in recent years.
The NBA won't be the same without Kenny and Ernie trying to make sense of Shaq and Chuck's never-ending bickering every Tuesday night.
New Lakers coach JJ Redick insisted last week that Bronny deserves to have been drafted.
There have been claims from some quarters that he was only brought on board because of his famous father.
Redick spoke out after the younger James thanked the coach and vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka for everything they have "given" to him.
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"Rob and I did not give Bronny anything," Redick said.
"Bronny has earned this. Bronny has earned this through hard work."