LeBron James unlikely to sign an extension with Lakers?

Based on my conversations with people who have a strong sense of such things, it’s clear James is considering playing out this contract rather than signing a two-year extension this summer. If flexibility and freedom are the goals here, James (who is owed $44.4 million next season) could go back to the year-by-year approach he perfected in his second Cleveland stop.
Source: Sam Amick @ The Athletic

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Bill Oram @billoram
Insightful, illuminating column from @Sam Amick on what comes next for LeBron James, Los Angeles Laker. theathletic.com/3244418/2022/0… – 2:23 PM Kurt Helin @basketballtalk
Reports: LeBron likes Mark Jackson for Lakers’ coach, Jazz’s Snyder losing interest nba.nbcsports.com/2022/04/12/rep… – 1:01 PM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
LeBron James: ““I came here to win a championship. I want to win more. I accomplished what I wanted to accomplish. But I’m still hungry for more. I’m confident that this organization wants the same.” on.nba.com/3uuM72q – 11:04 AM Justin Kubatko @jkubatko
Luka Doncic through his first four seasons:
6,962 PTS
2,256 REB
2,102 AST
Doncic is just the fourth player in NBA history to record at least 6,000 points, 2,000 rebounds, and 2,000 assists through his first four seasons (Oscar Robertson, LeBron James, and Grant Hill). pic.twitter.com/S080kJ9VWh – 10:31 AM Jorge Sierra @hoopshype
Westbrook on LeBron/AD and letting Russ be Russ… pic.twitter.com/P7Ma7zcQXf – 7:34 AM Brad Turner @BA_Turner
The @latimessports has @dylanohernandez with this tremendous work: Hernández: LeBron James makes excuses instead of being a leader for Lakers latimes.com/sports/lakers/… – 11:39 PM Kyle Goon @kylegoon
Ages ago, all the way back this morning, LeBron James talked about the problems of this season, his health status and his future with the Lakers: ocregister.com/2022/04/11/aft… – 11:36 PM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
LeBron James: “I came here to win a championship. I want to win more.” Rob Pelinka: “We had a very disappointing season. LeBron & Pelinka on Frank Vogel’s firing, LeBron’s collaboration w/ front office, LeBron’s injury & Russell Westbrook’s future. on.nba.com/3uuM72q – 10:56 PM Allen Sliwa @AllenSliwa
‘Lakers Talk’ starts at 7p…
-Vogel is gone, do you have any issue with it?
-Why Russ did not work this season?
-Pelinka deserves more blame
-Do you believe Bron & AD can still win a Chip?
Will take as many phone calls as I can tonight…
@ESPNLosAngeles – 9:39 PM Kevin O’Connor @KevinOConnorNBA
My All-NBA votes:
1st
C: Nikola Jokic
F: Giannis Antetokounmpo
F: Jayson Tatum
G: Luka Doncic
G: Devin Booker
2nd
C: Joel Embiid
F: Kevin Durant
F: LeBron James
G: Ja Morant
G: Steph Curry
3rd
C: Karl-Anthony Towns
F: Pascal Siakam
F: DeMar DeRozan
G: Trae Young
G: Chris Paul – 6:34 PM StatMuse @statmuse
What’s a stat that sounds fake but is true?
We’ll start: LeBron averages 27/7/7 in his career despite never having a 27/7/7 game. – 5:48 PM Kyle Goon @kylegoon
Getting whiplash from Malik Monk sitting up here talking about how much the Lakers were behind him this year, his relationship with LeBron and AD and how they let him be himself. Very different vibe than a few minutes ago. – 5:23 PM Kyle Goon @kylegoon
When @Dan Woike mentions that LeBron and AD said many times throughout the year, “Let Russ be Russ,” Russell Westbrook immediately responds: “Yeah, but that wasn’t true. Let’s be honest.” – 5:06 PM Mike Trudell @LakersReporter
The high point of L.A.’s 2021-22 season may have been Dec. 15 (16-13, 5th in West), when Reaves hit a game-winner at DAL. The next game, at MIN, AD hurt his knee, and from that point moving forward, he and LeBron would play only 7 games together for the rest of the season. – 4:42 PM Justin Kubatko @jkubatko
Nikola Jokic has led the @Denver Nuggets in total points, rebounds, and assists in each of the last five seasons.
No other player in NBA history has recorded more than three such seasons in a row:
5 – Jokic
3 – Wilt Chamberlain
3 – LeBron James
3 – Luka Doncic pic.twitter.com/PCVQkjco21 – 4:01 PM Eric Pincus @EricPincus
The CBA won’t allow the Lakers and LeBron to work an extension before August. That said, and as recent tampering penalties to other franchises would suggest, such conversations tend to happen before they’re technically legal. Lakers likely need a sense before offseason decisions – 3:33 PM Mike Trudell @LakersReporter
Rob Pelinka on LeBron: “Every indication that we’ve received is he sees the Lakers as his home.” – 3:24 PM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
Lakers GM Rob Pelinka on his outlook that LeBron James will retire as a Laker: “Every indication we’ve received is he sees the Lakers as his home.” – 3:24 PM Mike Trudell @LakersReporter
Pelinka on LeBron: “He feels highly motivated to return next year and have another elite (season) … For him to play that way in Year 19 (2021-22) is jawdropping.” – 3:18 PM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
Lakers GM Rob Pelinka on what the collaboration with LeBron James has been in the past and what he expects it to be in the summer: “At the end of the day I’m the one who leads the basketball department and will take ultimate accountability for whatever roster decisions are made.” – 3:17 PM Kyle Goon @kylegoon
Rob Pelinka says he’ll get input from LeBron and AD, but: “At the end of the day, the roster decisions ultimately fall on my shoulders.” – 3:15 PM Kyle Goon @kylegoon
Rob Pelinka says one of the Lakers’ primary goals is to be caretakers of LeBron James’ legacy and give him a chance to compete in each of his seasons. He says they’ll work with him this summer to get it right. – 3:14 PM Alex Kennedy @AlexKennedyNBA
How much longer does LeBron James want to keep playing?
“I don’t have a cap on how long I want to play. But I can still produce at a high level, as I showed this year.”
We know he wants to play with Bronny so that likely means he’ll play through 2024-25: basketballnews.com/stories/lebron… – 1:53 PM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
LeBron James: “The front office is going to do whatever it takes to help this ball club become a better ball club, from top to bottom. If they ask me my opinion, I’ll give them my opinion. But at the end of the day, they’re going to make the decisions they feel is best.” – 1:28 PM Alex Kennedy @AlexKennedyNBA
LeBron James says he never considered chasing the scoring title once the Lakers were eliminated from playoff contention, saying it would’ve been the “wackest thing ever.” basketballnews.com/stories/lebron… – 1:19 PM Rob Perez @WorldWideWob
wanted to reiterate my correct All-NBA selections, separate from the incorrect graphic during the show, just for clarity:
1st: Luka, Booker, Giannis, Embiid, Jokic
2nd: Curry, Ja, Tatum, KD, KAT
3rd: CP3, DeRozan, Siakam, LeBron, Bam
Full episode
youtu.be/WE2nlRqgp5E – 1:11 PM Melissa Rohlin @melissarohlin
Aside from his ankle injury, LeBron James was asked whether missing out on the scoring title meant something to him:
“Once we were eliminated from playoff contention, there was nothing to talk about, think about,” he said. – 12:33 PM Ryan Ward @RyanWardLA
LeBron says going after a scoring title w/o making the playoffs is “the most wackest thing ever.” – 12:33 PM Mike Trudell @LakersReporter
LeBron said there was no consideration of him returning to play just to qualify for the scoring title, due to his ankle injury. Were he healthy, he’d have played.
“I’m not out there just to be playing meaningless games to win the scoring title.” – 12:33 PM Brad Turner @BA_Turner
“I have not been told. I’ve seen the reports like everybody else has,” LeBron James on reports that Frank Vogel has been fired as Lakers coach. – 12:30 PM Melissa Rohlin @melissarohlin
LeBron James when asked if he has a problem with the way Frank Vogel found out he was fired: “….I can only control what I can control.” – 12:30 PM Kamenetzky Brothers @KamBrothers
LeBron says he has not been informed whether or not Frank Vogel has been fired. AK – 12:29 PM Kyle Goon @kylegoon
LeBron says he has not been officially told that Frank Vogel has been fired. – 12:29 PM Ryan Ward @RyanWardLA
LeBron James: “I have not been told” whether Frank Vogel has been fired. – 12:29 PM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
LeBron James asked if he’s bothered with the way the Lakers handled Frank Vogel’s firing: “I can only control what I can control.” LeBron added that he hasn’t been told directly that Vogel has been let go. – 12:29 PM Melissa Rohlin @melissarohlin
LeBron James when asked if he, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook just need more time together: “That’s not my decision.” – 12:28 PM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
LeBron James on if the Lakers should keep himself, AD and Westbrook as a trio: “That’s not my decision.” LeBron called it a “front office decision.” – 12:27 PM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
LeBron James on dealing with injuries throughout his four-year Lakers tenure: “It’s been some freak accidents.” – 12:26 PM Ryan Ward @RyanWardLA
LeBron claims he was the “MVP of the season” last year before he sprained his ankle. – 12:25 PM Ryan Ward @RyanWardLA
LeBron says the reason the BIG 3 didn’t work this season is “because we weren’t on the damn floor together.”
21 games of LeBron + AD + Westbrook. – 12:24 PM Melissa Rohlin @melissarohlin
LeBron James: “The reason we weren’t very good together? We weren’t on the damn floor together.” – 12:24 PM Dave McMenamin @mcten
LeBron James says the MRI on his left ankle confirmed that he would not require surgery or any injections to it to repair it. He said he made the ankle worse by playing in the second New Orleans game on it and will need to stay off it for the next 4-6 weeks to let it recover – 12:24 PM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
LeBron James sums up his fit with Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook: “The reason we were not very good together is we weren’t on the damn floor together. That’s the No. 1 damn thing.” – 12:24 PM Mike Bresnahan @Mike_Bresnahan
LeBron James said he would need to stay off his sprained ankle for another 4-6 weeks after getting an MRI last week.
No surgery required, but he acknowledged he probably shouldn’t have played vs. New Orleans two weeks ago. – 12:23 PM Melissa Rohlin @melissarohlin
LeBron James said the MRI revealed that there’s no surgery required for his ankle. He said he needs to stay off it for 4-6 weeks. He added that he shouldn’t have played against NO and likely made it worse. – 12:23 PM Ryan Ward @RyanWardLA
LeBron also says he’s got some doctor appts lined up to take a look at his knee and groin. – 12:23 PM Kyle Goon @kylegoon
LeBron said he’ll have to stay off of his left ankle for the next 4-6 weeks, but no surgery or injections. He shouldn’t have played against New Orleans, he said, and he made it worse, but he wanted to see if the Lakers could make a push. – 12:23 PM Jovan Buha @jovanbuha
LeBron James says he will need to stay off of his sprained left ankle for 4-6 weeks. – 12:23 PM Mike Trudell @LakersReporter
LeBron on his ankle after an MRI: “There’s no surgery required, no injections, but I’m going to have to stay off it for 4 to 6 weeks to let it recover.”
He said he shouldn’t have played in the New Orleans game, which made it worse. But: “I’ll make a full recovery.” – 12:22 PM Brad Turner @BA_Turner
LeBron James said he’ll have to stay off ankle 4-6 weeks after getting MRI on ankle. – 12:22 PM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
LeBron James on his MRI on his left ankle: “There’s no surgery, no injections.” But he said he has to stay off of his ankle for next 4 to 6 weeks. – 12:22 PM Ryan Ward @RyanWardLA
LeBron says there’s “no surgery required” on his injured ankle after getting an MRI. – 12:22 PM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
LeBron James on what the team needs to address most with its roster – offense, defense, getting younger? LeBron: “All three.” – 12:20 PM Kyle Goon @kylegoon
When asked what needs tweaking in the roster — offense, defense or getting younger, LeBron says, “all three.” – 12:18 PM Ryan Ward @RyanWardLA
LeBron James says this season is “not a failure” because the team worked together daily on trying to get better. – 12:18 PM Melissa Rohlin @melissarohlin
When LeBron James was asked what he wants to tweak in his game this off-season, he said, “I wanna get to the free throw line,” adding that he needs to learn how to “trick the refs.” – 12:17 PM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
LeBron James on one of his goals next season: “I want to get to the free-throw line. I want to learn how to trick the refs.” – 12:16 PM Kyle Goon @kylegoon
LeBron emphasizes that if the Lakers’ front office asks his opinion, he’ll give it, but his main responsibility is being ready at the start of training camp to lead whoever the team is. – 12:16 PM Ryan Ward @RyanWardLA
LeBron on what he wants to work on this summer: “I want to get to the free-throw line. … I’ve got to figure it out.” – 12:16 PM Mike Trudell @LakersReporter
LeBron: “The front office is going to do whatever it takes to make (this franchise) better. … it’s my job to make sure I’m ready at the start of training camp, ready to lead the team that’s on the floor, whoever that may be.” – 12:15 PM Ryan Ward @RyanWardLA
LeBron on upgrading the roster: “I think the front office is going to do whatever it takes” to make the team better moving forward. – 12:15 PM Mike Trudell @LakersReporter
LeBron: “I don’t have a cap on how long I want to play.”
He said it depends upon health, but: “I can still produce at a high level, as I showed this year.” – 12:14 PM Ryan Ward @RyanWardLA
LeBron on how long he wants to play: “I don’t have a cap on how long I want to play. … But I can still produce at a high level. That I showed this year for sure.” – 12:14 PM Mike Trudell @LakersReporter
LeBron remarked upon how frustrating the injuries and lack of continuity were this season, citing the franchise-record 41 different starting lineups that were used. – 12:13 PM Mike Trudell @LakersReporter
LeBron said he came to the Lakers to win a championship, and did so in 2020, but that remains the goal:
“I want to do it again.” – 12:12 PM Ryan Ward @RyanWardLA
LeBron on winning a championship with the Lakers: “I want to do it again.” – 12:12 PM Bill Oram @billoram
LeBron on wanting to win championships as a Laker: “I accomplished what I to accomplish and I’m still hungry for more … Also want to just change the narrative of how this franchise can compete at a high level again.” – 12:11 PM Dave McMenamin @mcten
LeBron James on his four years in Los Angeles: “I came here to win a championship but I want to win more … I accomplished what I wanted to accomplish … but I want to do it again” – 12:11 PM Mike Trudell @LakersReporter
LeBron said it’s natural to start thinking about the group for next season, how the pieces can best fit, looking for a “roster that can bring more wins,” no matter where he’s on the court most: “My personal goal is to be able to play any position on the floor.” – 12:11 PM Melissa Rohlin @melissarohlin
LeBron James on Frank Vogel’s firing: pic.twitter.com/X1q54TRzfR – 12:11 PM Ryan Ward @RyanWardLA
LeBron on confidence in the Lakers rebounding: “I came here to win a championship and I want to win more.” – 12:11 PM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
LeBron James: “I came here to win a championship. I came here to win more.” – 12:11 PM Bill Oram @billoram
LeBron James said he has not yet had conversations about the contract extension he will be eligible for later this summer. – 12:10 PM Dane Moore @DaneMooreNBA
It seems a lot of people think Pat Bev will check Paul George. He won’t
Jarred Vanderbilt will be the primary matchup on PG, because he always takes big ball-handlers (LeBron, Luka, etc). But Anthony Edwards will also get a lot of work on him. Switches, sloppy cross matches, etc pic.twitter.com/I5rBleAiLM – 12:10 PM Dave McMenamin @mcten
LeBron James: “I respect Frank as a coach and as a man … He’s a man who gives everything to the game … At the end of the day I don’t know what’s going to happen with Frank and him being here, but I have nothing but respect for him” – 12:10 PM Kyle Goon @kylegoon
LeBron on Westbrook: “One thing about Russ that I love and I will always love is just his competitive spirit and what he brings to the game every night.” Says it’s not up to him to make decisions about the roster, but he’s loved being Russ’ teammate. – 12:10 PM Ryan Ward @RyanWardLA
LeBron on Frank Vogel: “I respect Frank as a coach and as a man. … I have nothing but respect for him.” – 12:10 PM Brad Turner @BA_Turner
“I respect Frank as a coach,” LeBron James said. – 12:10 PM Allen Sliwa @AllenSliwa
Lebron on his time with Westbrook…”I love being a teammate with Russ, that’s just the way it is…” – 12:09 PM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
LeBron James on if he can envision playing with Russell Westbrook again next season: “I’m not here to make decisions for the front office and that nature. But I loved being teammates with Russ.” – 12:09 PM Ryan Ward @RyanWardLA
LeBron on Russell Westbrook partnership next year: “I don’t put any expectations on anything. … I love being a teammate with Russ. That’s just the way it is.” – 12:09 PM Melissa Rohlin @melissarohlin
LeBron James when asked if he intends to sign a contract extension with the Lakers pic.twitter.com/ff1yBOHYKF – 12:09 PM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
LeBron James on if he plans to sign an extension with the Lakers yet: “Myself and Rich can’t even begin to talk to Rob and the front office because of the collective bargaining agreement. When we get to that point, we’ll see.” – 12:08 PM Ryan Ward @RyanWardLA
LeBron James on being eligible for an extension with the Lakers: “The conversation hasn’t been talked about. … When we get to that point, we’ll see.” – 12:08 PM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
LeBron James: “My personal goal is to be able to play at any position on the floor.” – 12:07 PM Kyle Goon @kylegoon
LeBron James is beginning his exit interview. Said it’s human nature to start thinking ahead to next season and think about how the Lakers can build a roster that wins more: “We definitely want to be better.” – 12:06 PM Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
LeBron James about to start his exit interview pic.twitter.com/TDmOQ3F0Uv – 12:06 PM Ryan Ward @RyanWardLA
LeBron’s presser begins… pic.twitter.com/IAx5Y4EMT1 – 12:06 PM Tommy Beer @TommyBeer
Over NY’s final five games,
Obi Toppin averaged:
27.2 points,
6.2 rebounds,
3.8 made treys.
The only other players to average more than 27 points and six rebs in April were Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Pascal Siakam & Kevin Durant
tommybeer.substack.com/p/obi-and-iq-c… – 10:38 AM

More on this storyline

Melissa Rohlin: Rob Pelinka when asked about the possibility of LeBron James signing a contract extension: “I cant talk about his future contract status, but the feeling is that he loves being a Laker and sees this as a longterm home and that’s been made loud and clear.” -via Twitter @melissarohlin / April 11, 2022 Dave McMenamin: LeBron James says that the collective bargaining agreement has not allowed him and Rich Paul to discuss a contract extension for him with Rob Pelinka and the Lakers yet. He says when those conversations are allowed to occur by the CBA, they will be had. -via Twitter @mcten / April 11, 2022 Starting on August 4, LeBron James will be eligible for a two year, $97.1 million extension that would keep him under contract through the 2024-25 season. This decision is consequential for the Lakers not just because of the obvious reason of keeping him long-term, but because of the future flexibility it takes away. -via HoopsHype / April 6, 2022