Lakers Rumors: LeBron James Takes Near $3M Pay Cut; 2-Year Contract Worth $101.3M

The Los Angeles Lakers will remain below the second salary apron after LeBron James accepted a deal worth almost $3 million below the maximum, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.

James' two-year deal is worth $101.355 million, per Charania. The Lakers star was eligible for a maximum of $104 million.

Remaining below the second apron will allow the Lakers more flexibility to build another title contender around James. Teams that exceed the second limit, which sits approximately $11 million above the first apron and $18 million over the luxury tax ceiling, are subject to strict restrictions in free agency and trades.

Teams above the projected $178.7 million first apron are already restricted from using the non-taxpayer midlevel exception, adding a player in a sign-and-trade, or acquiring more salary in a trade than they sent the other way.

The costs above the second apron grow even steeper as teams cannot use any mid-level exceptions or add together two salaries to make up for a larger salary acquired in a trade.

James' agent Rich Paul previously told ESPN's Dave McMenamin that his client would be willing to take a pay cut that would keep Los Angeles eligible for the full midlevel exception if the Lakers were able to use it to sign an "impact player."

Players of that caliber included Klay Thompson, James Harden and Jonas Valančiūnas, McMenamin reported.

With all three players off the market, James opted for a deal that puts the Lakers above the first apron but keeps them from suffering the stronger repercussions of exceeding the second level, according to Charania.

James was originally eligible for a total of three years and $162 million on his next deal. His two-year contract, which ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported has a player option for 2025-26, will allow him to make year-by-year decisions about his NBA future.

The Lakers star's deal also included a 15 percent bonus if he is traded during the duration of the deal, Charania reported.

That will give the Lakers even more incentive than they already had to keep James in Los Angeles alongside Anthony Davis through the 2026-27 season.