LeBron James can sign anywhere he wants this summer if he decides to not retire. However, if he wants to live up to his career persona, he could be asked to take a paycut, and it will determine if he really has meant what he has been chasing his entire career.

The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly took a unique approach during the 2025-26 season to determine whether they want to re-sign LeBron James and at what price point.

Well, it resulted in negative Finals probability added in the end, but not by a huge amount — because there wasn’t much to begin with — and it did add to the tally of playoff appearances above expected for the Lakers during LeBron James’ time with the club.

LeBron has options, but if he wants to play again, the real question becomes how big a pay cut is he willing to take?

In the wake of the Los Angeles Lakers' season ending with a playoff sweep at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder, their injury woes are getting an even brighter spotlight in assessing what went wrong.

The 'awkward reality' facing LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. For much of the season, the assumption was that this would be the last year for LeBron James with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Dave Portnoy unloaded on LeBron James’ Los Angeles Lakers career after the Oklahoma City Thunder swept LA out of the 2026 playoffs. The rant was not just about one postseason exit. Portnoy used the 4-0 sweep to argue that James’ entire Lakers chapter should be judged much more harshly than many fans allow.

NBA insider Jake Fischer revealed the latest on the 41-year-old superstar, as James and the Los Angeles Lakers are about to face an uncertain offseason after being swept by the OKC Thunder in the second round of the NBA Playoffs.