LeBron James contract details: Lakers ink star to massive two-year extension
LeBron James has been the subject of trade rumors all season, especially as he enters the final year of his contract with the Lakers. For now, at least, he’s putting those trade rumors on hold.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported James has signed an extension that will keep him in Los Angeles for at least the next three seasons.
James became eligible to sign an extension on Aug. 4 and took just under two weeks to finalize a deal to remain a Laker.
Despite entering his 38-year campaign, James has shown no signs of slowing down on the pitch. In 56 games in 2021-22, James averaged 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game. Since arriving in LA, however, he has surpassed 60 games in a season only once and has yet to play 70 in a season.
Here’s a look at how much money James will make from his new deal.
LeBron James contract details
Wojnarowski reported James signed a $97.1 million contract over two years. The deal reportedly includes a 15 percent trade kicker, meaning the Lakers would pay him a 15 percent bonus on the remaining dollar amount on his contract if he traded. The deal also includes a player option for the 2024/25 season.
Because he signed an extension, he can’t have a no-trade clause in the deal, Wojnarowski reported, but the new deal means he can’t be traded in the 2022-23 season as the deal’s second year sees an increase of more than 5 percent means .
Nate Duncan reported that the timing of James’ extension ensures the Melo rule meets the trading deadline, which he estimates will be February 9th.
It appears the timing of James’ extension was calculated so that the 6-month melo rule would extend past this year’s trade deadline and prevent the Lakers from postponing it this year. James was eligible to sign them on August 4th. I believe this year’s trading deadline will be February 9th.
— Nate Duncan (@NateDuncanNBA) August 17, 2022
Here’s what the remaining three years of his contract look like now:
| Year | salary |
|---|---|
| 2022-23 | $44.5 million |
| 2023-24* | $46.7 million |
| 2024-25* | $50.4 million |
*Years in extension
Highest Paid NBA Players
With the new deal, James cements his place among the highest-paid players in the NBA.
In the first year of renewal, James will be the league’s third highest-paid player based on base salary, according to Spotrac, behind only Stephen Curry ($51.9 million) and Bradley Beal ($46.7 million). In the second year of the deal, James’ $50.4 million will fall only short of Curry’s $55.8 million salary.
Based on average annual value, James’ 2023-24 renewal, the first year it goes into effect, has the fourth-highest average annual value in the league.
| player | Years | Average annual value |
|---|---|---|
| Nikola Jokić | 5 | $53,998,000 |
| Joel Embid | 4 | $52,136,000 |
| Jimmy Butler | 3 | $50,274,000 |
| Lebron James | 2 | $48,566,687 |
| Darius garland | 5 | $38,570,000 |
Most career wins in NBA history
James’ new deal also ensures he will surpass Nets forward Kevin Durant for most career earnings in NBA contracts.
The contract will bring James to $528.99 million in career earnings, while Durant’s deal will end with him earning $498.69 million in career.
Here’s a look at most career earnings through 2029, per Spotrac.
| player | merits |
|---|---|
| Lebron James | $528,992,480 |
| Kevin Durant | $498,688,653 |
| Stephen Curry | $470,090,010 |
| Damien Lillard | $449,910,157 |
| Bradley Beal | $428,874,362 |
| ChrisPaul | $419,909,419 |
| Nikola Jokić | $419,369,513 |
| Karl-Anthony-Cities | $406,491,513 |
| Devin Booker | $390,756,853 |
| Joel Embid | $374,516,037 |
Here’s how this list has changed over time.
