Why wouldn’t Bron opt out?

[Doctor MJ]

If he wanted to compete and give wtv team he’s on the best chance to win wouldn’t it be smart to opt out and sign for the vet min for slightly above ?

Is it just an ego thing ? The guy has nothing to prove and is already a billionaire.

So, here's my take:

1. LeBron felt he got burned in Miami taking a pay cut in the name of giving the Heat a chance at a better roster, only to see them let guys go to save more money.

2. LeBron & Luka isn't a good fit. Sure they can be great together because they are both great, but Luka isn't the guy to acquire if you're looking to build around LeBron, and I think LeBron understood that from the moment they acquired Luka (and traded away AD), that the Lakers were now going to be focused on building around Luka.

3. So why should LeBron take a massive pay cut for Luka's team?

The obvious rebuttal is "Because it's also LeBron's team, and LeBron wants more chips", but given that LeBron didn't actually take that pay cut, he clearly didn't accept that rebuttal.

So I'd say from LeBron's perspective, he decided that whatever will be will be, but he's not taking a massive cut just to help a franchise focused on a guy who isn't LeBron.

I hear this all the time. It’s really a false premise. No one is taking a massive cut purely to help a franchise. It’s almost as if nothing is in it for LeBron. It’s not like LeBron doesn’t care if he’s on a good team or cares if he’s in the best position possible from a competitive standpoint. The issue is, LeBron, like most superstars, wants to have it both ways, that is, I want to get top dollars and I want to be on the best team possible. It becomes an issue when those two things come into conflict.

Well, I'll accept the pushback that expecting anyone to take a massive pay cut is unrealistic, but had LeBron opted out, many options would be on the table for him and the Lakers. Had he been all in on the Lakers adding talent to compete for a title next year, there are things he could have done that would have helped make that easier, but he opted to do something else.

Further in fairness to LeBron: If you opt out of a contract in the hopes that the team you're on will "do right by you", well, they might not. Given that the Lakers made the decision this past season to acquire a new, much younger, franchise player, pretty understandable if LeBron didn't trust them, and so if you combine them with him not trusting his own market, he made a decision to make sure he got that last $50 mill season and let the Lakers figure out what to do with that.

Not saying it was the wrong thing to do, just saying, that's what he did, and it's frankly what the Lakers probably should have expected if they didn't.

[bkkrh]

If he wanted to compete and give wtv team he’s on the best chance to win wouldn’t it be smart to opt out and sign for the vet min for slightly above ?

Is it just an ego thing ? The guy has nothing to prove and is already a billionaire.

Even with Finney-Smith declining his option the Lakers would have still been more than 15 Million over the salary cap if Lebron declined his player option. So either way they had no cap space.

So for all the people in here making it again a Lebron thing, maybe take the minute it takes to look up the actual cap situation of the Lakers first.

[California Gold]

He's retiring in LA. He's not serious about wanting to leave.

He has his son playing on the Lakers, his new mansion that is being built and soon after retirement will own the Las Vegas expansion franchise while he sits in his mansion in LA. Most of his business ventures are also out of LA, he's simply not going to relocate for one season unless it's somewhere nearby, somewhere like Golden State.

https://nypost.com/2025/06/13/real-estate/lebron-james-is-making-great-progress-on-his-megamansion/

[bkkrh]

If there was a path to the Lakers using that room to build a strong contender, maybe it could have been a discussion.
The Lakers payroll is fat enough, it's not like Lebron taking a pay cut opens up cap space, and even if it did, who would you want to spend it on?

Myles turner

Ok and now tell me how the Lakers free up the 40 Million in cap space to get under the salary cap and sign Miles Turner for 25 Million a year.

[Ball so hard]

So, here's my take:

1. LeBron felt he got burned in Miami taking a pay cut in the name of giving the Heat a chance at a better roster, only to see them let guys go to save more money.

2. LeBron & Luka isn't a good fit. Sure they can be great together because they are both great, but Luka isn't the guy to acquire if you're looking to build around LeBron, and I think LeBron understood that from the moment they acquired Luka (and traded away AD), that the Lakers were now going to be focused on building around Luka.

3. So why should LeBron take a massive pay cut for Luka's team?

The obvious rebuttal is "Because it's also LeBron's team, and LeBron wants more chips", but given that LeBron didn't actually take that pay cut, he clearly didn't accept that rebuttal.

So I'd say from LeBron's perspective, he decided that whatever will be will be, but he's not taking a massive cut just to help a franchise focused on a guy who isn't LeBron.

I hear this all the time. It’s really a false premise. No one is taking a massive cut purely to help a franchise. It’s almost as if nothing is in it for LeBron. It’s not like LeBron doesn’t care if he’s on a good team or cares if he’s in the best position possible from a competitive standpoint. The issue is, LeBron, like most superstars, wants to have it both ways, that is, I want to get top dollars and I want to be on the best team possible. It becomes an issue when those two things come into conflict.

Well, I'll accept the pushback that expecting anyone to take a massive pay cut is unrealistic, but had LeBron opted out, many options would be on the table for him and the Lakers. Had he been all in on the Lakers adding talent to compete for a title next year, there are things he could have done that would have helped make that easier, but he opted to do something else.

Further in fairness to LeBron: If you opt out of a contract in the hopes that the team you're on will "do right by you", well, they might not. Given that the Lakers made the decision this past season to acquire a new, much younger, franchise player, pretty understandable if LeBron didn't trust them, and so if you combine them with him not trusting his own market, he made a decision to make sure he got that last $50 mill season and let the Lakers figure out what to do with that.

Not saying it was the wrong thing to do, just saying, that's what he did, and it's frankly what the Lakers probably should have expected if they didn't.

I don’t disagree. I don’t blame him for taking all of his well-deserved money. My only point of contention is that he then can’t complain about not being on a better team. Everyone knows the implications of LeBron opting into $52M.

[MrPainfulTruth]

Money. Lakers arent going balls to the wall to win this year (correctly, imo).

And no billionaire is giving up 50 mill

This is nonsense. There are plenty of billionaires who literally donate half of their wealth. There is zero to gain for LeBron in making more money. Literally nothing. There would have been a lot to gain from giving the Lakers air to breathe, and make trades. The benefits are overwhelmingly in favor of taking a pay cut, as many other players did before. Players who have accumulated a small fraction of the money LeBron has.

The only thing in his way was his ego.

If you were worth two million dollars and living super comfortably, would you voluntarily take a $50,000 pay cut to maybe slightly help out your extremely wealthy employer?

The expectations people have of LeBron are utter nonsense at this point.

You dont need a degree in economics to understand why this is not comparable.

FIrst of all, LeBron should have retired long ago from a rational point of view. Its very hard to find a reasoning for him playing on at his age, risking permanent injury, having little to no chance to win a title as the lead player, other than his ego. He does not need to make more money, and he wont do his legacy any good. Also his legacy is just something a bunch of fans are obsessed with; for him, in his current situation, it makes no difference economically. Its all about his ego.

I dont think i'm reaching when i say he keeps playing because he cant bear imagining not being in the news, not being talked about, not giving interviews. Its all about his ego in the end.

[prophet_of_rage]

If opted out, people will say he is rigging the league again for signing near veteran minimum. So he rather take the money and be with his son.

The league would also say so and investigate the Lakers.

Sent from my SM-S9080 using RealGM mobile app

[NyKnicks1714]

This is nonsense. There are plenty of billionaires who literally donate half of their wealth. There is zero to gain for LeBron in making more money. Literally nothing. There would have been a lot to gain from giving the Lakers air to breathe, and make trades. The benefits are overwhelmingly in favor of taking a pay cut, as many other players did before. Players who have accumulated a small fraction of the money LeBron has.

The only thing in his way was his ego.

If you were worth two million dollars and living super comfortably, would you voluntarily take a $50,000 pay cut to maybe slightly help out your extremely wealthy employer?

The expectations people have of LeBron are utter nonsense at this point.

You dont need a degree in economics to understand why this is not comparable.

FIrst of all, LeBron should have retired long ago from a rational point of view. Its very hard to find a reasoning for him playing on at his age, risking permanent injury, having little to no chance to win a title as the lead player, other than his ego. He does not need to make more money, and he wont do his legacy any good. Also his legacy is just something a bunch of fans are obsessed with; for him, in his current situation, it makes no difference economically. Its all about his ego.

I dont think i'm reaching when i say he keeps playing because he cant bear imagining not being in the news, not being talked about, not giving interviews. Its all about hisbo ego in the end.

So in other words, no you wouldn't. And I don't even need the analogy, which is valid. 99.9+% of players in NBA history would do exactly what LeBron did in this position. Name the 5 players you love most in the NBA today...guess what. They're all taking the 50 million in this position. So would you, so would I. So would almost anyone. It's called common sense, not "ego".

But really, how do you not realize how delusional and nonsensical this garbage is? "From a rational point of view"...what? This is about a person doing what they love, it has nothing to do with rational or irrational. You're just trying to sound smart. And on top of that he was just 2nd team All-NBA and even if you disagree with that, he was a bona fide All-star at the very least. Name one player in NBA history who fans ever criticized for not retiring while playing at a clear All-star level?

And the trash you're making up might have some merit if LeBron was just resting on his laurels, but he works harder than anyone in the NBA. Whether that's practice, or working on his body, or spending time watching film, it's well documented how much work he puts in. Think about that. The oldest, most accomplished, and wealthiest player in the NBA, the guy who needs it the least, puts in more work than anyone else. You hate the guy so you try to assign bad motives to what is only a positive thing, but just put all assumptions aside and look at the facts. He needs it the least (the one thing you got right), and he works harder than anyone else. And this is somehow a bad thing to you, brilliant.

[mademan]

This is nonsense. There are plenty of billionaires who literally donate half of their wealth. There is zero to gain for LeBron in making more money. Literally nothing. There would have been a lot to gain from giving the Lakers air to breathe, and make trades. The benefits are overwhelmingly in favor of taking a pay cut, as many other players did before. Players who have accumulated a small fraction of the money LeBron has.

The only thing in his way was his ego.

If you were worth two million dollars and living super comfortably, would you voluntarily take a $50,000 pay cut to maybe slightly help out your extremely wealthy employer?

The expectations people have of LeBron are utter nonsense at this point.

You dont need a degree in economics to understand why this is not comparable.

FIrst of all, LeBron should have retired long ago from a rational point of view. Its very hard to find a reasoning for him playing on at his age, risking permanent injury, having little to no chance to win a title as the lead player, other than his ego. He does not need to make more money, and he wont do his legacy any good. Also his legacy is just something a bunch of fans are obsessed with; for him, in his current situation, it makes no difference economically. Its all about his ego.

I dont think i'm reaching when i say he keeps playing because he cant bear imagining not being in the news, not being talked about, not giving interviews. Its all about his ego in the end.

Or, he keeps playing because he's still one of the best in the world at his craft and he enjoys it.

[NyKnicks1714]

If opted out, people will say he is rigging the league again for signing near veteran minimum. So he rather take the money and be with his son.

I promise that literally every single person here who is saying he should take the vet min would be outraged if he actually did.

[MrPainfulTruth]

If you were worth two million dollars and living super comfortably, would you voluntarily take a $50,000 pay cut to maybe slightly help out your extremely wealthy employer?

The expectations people have of LeBron are utter nonsense at this point.

You dont need a degree in economics to understand why this is not comparable.

FIrst of all, LeBron should have retired long ago from a rational point of view. Its very hard to find a reasoning for him playing on at his age, risking permanent injury, having little to no chance to win a title as the lead player, other than his ego. He does not need to make more money, and he wont do his legacy any good. Also his legacy is just something a bunch of fans are obsessed with; for him, in his current situation, it makes no difference economically. Its all about his ego.

I dont think i'm reaching when i say he keeps playing because he cant bear imagining not being in the news, not being talked about, not giving interviews. Its all about hisbo ego in the end.

So in other words, no you wouldn't. And I don't even need the analogy, which is valid. 99.9+% of players in NBA history would do exactly what LeBron did in this position. Name the 5 players you love most in the NBA today...guess what. They're all taking the 50 million in this position. So would you, so would I. So would almost anyone. It's called common sense, not "ego".

But really, how do you not realize how delusional and nonsensical this garbage is? "From a rational point of view"...what? This is about a person doing what they love, it has nothing to do with rational or irrational. You're just trying to sound smart. And on top of that he was just 2nd team All-NBA and even if you disagree with that, he was a bona fide All-star at the very least. Name one player in NBA history who fans ever criticized for not retiring while playing at a clear All-star level?

And the trash you're making up might have some merit if LeBron was just resting on his laurels, but he works harder than anyone in the NBA. Whether that's practice, or working on his body, or spending time watching film, it's well documented how much work he puts in. Think about that. The oldest, most accomplished, and wealthiest player in the NBA, the guy who needs it the least, puts in more work than anyone else. You hate the guy so you try to assign bad motives to what is only a positive thing, but just put all assumptions aside and look at the facts. He needs it the least (the one thing you got right), and he works harder than anyone else. And this is somehow a bad thing to you, brilliant.

Wow. You really lost it towards the end of your post, which is basically just fan fiction. This isnt a discussion any more since you are obviously unwilling to resort to normal arguments and rationality. Good day.

[JM00n69]

LAL would still be over the cap if he signed for the vet min. Meaning they can't offer more than whatever the exeption they have. Plus there ain't any elite level free agents this year.

Also there is a clause in the CBA about a player resigning for way way below market value so that the team can open up cap space. It's not against the rules but if it gives one team a massive edge then other teams can raise the case to the league about tampering/fair play which the league is then obligated to open an investigation for.

[MrPainfulTruth]

If you were worth two million dollars and living super comfortably, would you voluntarily take a $50,000 pay cut to maybe slightly help out your extremely wealthy employer?

The expectations people have of LeBron are utter nonsense at this point.

You dont need a degree in economics to understand why this is not comparable.

FIrst of all, LeBron should have retired long ago from a rational point of view. Its very hard to find a reasoning for him playing on at his age, risking permanent injury, having little to no chance to win a title as the lead player, other than his ego. He does not need to make more money, and he wont do his legacy any good. Also his legacy is just something a bunch of fans are obsessed with; for him, in his current situation, it makes no difference economically. Its all about his ego.

I dont think i'm reaching when i say he keeps playing because he cant bear imagining not being in the news, not being talked about, not giving interviews. Its all about his ego in the end.

Or, he keeps playing because he's still one of the best in the world at his craft and he enjoys it.

Sorry the story doesnt check out.
1. He says he wants to win
2. He wont take a pay cut
3. He "enjoys playing"

If he "enjoys playing" and wants to win, he would do whatever it takes to help his team make moves. Also he would maybe move somewhere else because there isnt much merit to win with Luka who is clearly the superior player at this point.

Something doesnt fit in there. I find the story that he is addicted to attention and absolutely needs the spot light and cameras and microphones around him much more plausible. It would be completely alingned with every single one of his actions.

And i repeat. A billionare who can support his entire family and their friends so they dont ever have to work until their last day and can live in luxury, doesnt have to put his health at risk competing with 20 year olds. At this point he should conservie and protect his body. Again, the only reason to continue while not helping his team is ego.

[sol537]

Prediction: LeBron will accept a buy out in LA and go to CLE or NYK to increase his title chances before retirement. Bookmark this.

[mademan]

You dont need a degree in economics to understand why this is not comparable.

FIrst of all, LeBron should have retired long ago from a rational point of view. Its very hard to find a reasoning for him playing on at his age, risking permanent injury, having little to no chance to win a title as the lead player, other than his ego. He does not need to make more money, and he wont do his legacy any good. Also his legacy is just something a bunch of fans are obsessed with; for him, in his current situation, it makes no difference economically. Its all about his ego.

I dont think i'm reaching when i say he keeps playing because he cant bear imagining not being in the news, not being talked about, not giving interviews. Its all about his ego in the end.

Or, he keeps playing because he's still one of the best in the world at his craft and he enjoys it.

Sorry the story doesnt check out.
1. He says he wants to win
2. He wont take a pay cut
3. He "enjoys playing"

If he "enjoys playing" and wants to win, he would do whatever it takes to help his team make moves. Also he would maybe move somewhere else because there isnt much merit to win with Luka who is clearly the superior player at this point.

Something doesnt fit in there. I find the story that he is addicted to attention and absolutely needs the spot light and cameras and microphones around him much more plausible. It would be completely alingned with every single one of his actions.

And i repeat. A billionare who can support his entire family and their friends so they dont ever have to work until their last day and can live in luxury, doesnt have to put his health at risk competing with 20 year olds. At this point he should conservie and protect his body. Again, the only reason to continue while not helping his team is ego.

What story? He's one of the best at what he does and he's being compensated the right amount for a player of his caliber. Why would you read more into it than that? No player should ever take less than theyre worth

[JM00n69]

This is nonsense. There are plenty of billionaires who literally donate half of their wealth. There is zero to gain for LeBron in making more money. Literally nothing. There would have been a lot to gain from giving the Lakers air to breathe, and make trades. The benefits are overwhelmingly in favor of taking a pay cut, as many other players did before. Players who have accumulated a small fraction of the money LeBron has.

The only thing in his way was his ego.

If you were worth two million dollars and living super comfortably, would you voluntarily take a $50,000 pay cut to maybe slightly help out your extremely wealthy employer?

The expectations people have of LeBron are utter nonsense at this point.

You dont need a degree in economics to understand why this is not comparable.

FIrst of all, LeBron should have retired long ago from a rational point of view. Its very hard to find a reasoning for him playing on at his age, risking permanent injury, having little to no chance to win a title as the lead player, other than his ego. He does not need to make more money, and he wont do his legacy any good. Also his legacy is just something a bunch of fans are obsessed with; for him, in his current situation, it makes no difference economically. Its all about his ego.

I dont think i'm reaching when i say he keeps playing because he cant bear imagining not being in the news, not being talked about, not giving interviews. Its all about his ego in the end.

LeBron is playing for Legacy, has been for a while now. And it's something that he has always cared about a lot. Can't blame him really he's won everything he possibly can except the one thing that's left. Being the clear best player of all time. One more ring even if he's not the best player on the team would be the most importaint one of them all.

He'd still not beat MJ in my opinion but in 30 years there's gonna be a fresh fanbase that never saw either of them play and will compare their stats off bbref.

[Optms]

If opted out, people will say he is rigging the league again for signing near veteran minimum. So he rather take the money and be with his son.

Bron can never win with the cult like haters. He's just relaxing enjoying life in LA and somehow he's an egotistical diva because he refuses to leave the Lakers. Go figure.

[MrPainfulTruth]

Or, he keeps playing because he's still one of the best in the world at his craft and he enjoys it.

Sorry the story doesnt check out.
1. He says he wants to win
2. He wont take a pay cut
3. He "enjoys playing"

If he "enjoys playing" and wants to win, he would do whatever it takes to help his team make moves. Also he would maybe move somewhere else because there isnt much merit to win with Luka who is clearly the superior player at this point.

Something doesnt fit in there. I find the story that he is addicted to attention and absolutely needs the spot light and cameras and microphones around him much more plausible. It would be completely alingned with every single one of his actions.

And i repeat. A billionare who can support his entire family and their friends so they dont ever have to work until their last day and can live in luxury, doesnt have to put his health at risk competing with 20 year olds. At this point he should conservie and protect his body. Again, the only reason to continue while not helping his team is ego.

What story? He's one of the best at what he does and he's being compensated the right amount for a player of his caliber. Why would you read more into it than that? No player should ever take less than theyre worth

Its a team sport. The goal is to win. If you want to improve your teams' chances to win, you will consider taking less money. This does not apply for most players, because they are still in the phase of their career where they build a fortune. How many NBA players are billionares? How many have nine digit net worth even? Comparing LeBron to anyone else in the league makes little sense, because he has far, far more money and is much older than everyone else.

Adding more money to his almost infinite wealth is an unlikely motivator at this point. There is only one rational reason for him to continue playing which would be to win more. To win more, he would have to help his team. Not taking a pay cut, then one day later pressing the lakers to make win now moves, makes zero sense. Its very, very obvious his ego is talking. Not only my opinion but that of most neutral (meaning, not Klutch paid) analysts. But i feel we keep moving in circles here. Agree to disagree.

[Michael Lucky]

Tired of moving. Family tired of it more than likely. Yeah, ego somewhat but how many stars take that drastic a pay cut for a championship? Why not retire? Probably wants to announce it mid season to get some sort of farewell tour.

[C3H6N6O6]

I'd first like to say that LeBron is greedy. He might be a good person compared to most other athletes but he is really not that good of a person.

That being said the only billionaire I know who has donated a good amount of substantial real money for others is Jeff Bezos' ex-wife MacKenzie Scott and she's worth $31.5 billion.
The "money" Bill Gates and other billionaires give out through their "charities" is not the same. On top of that, giving out even 100 million when you are worth 20-30 billion is not the same as leaving 50 million when you are worth 1 billion.