LeBron James hasn’t announced yet where he will play next despite free agency entering its third week. According to reports, multiple teams have shown interest in the former Los Angeles Lakers superstar, but he is carefully weighing his options.
According to a 15-year NBA veteran, there is more to the delay than James taking his time in evaluating offers.
LeBron James Rumors: Former NBA Veteran Claims Teams Aren’t Calling
A few days after free agency opened, Rich Paul, James’ agent, named multiple teams that could potentially land his client. Among those in Paul’s list were the Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Miami Heat.
On Friday, ESPN reported that Paul “had spoken to 27 teams about him.” With so many options on the table, it seems James couldn’t avoid delaying his decision so he could analyze and gauge every offer.
Olden Polynice, who retired after 15 NBA seasons, pushed back on that narrative.
“They are scrambling right now. It’s not like 10 years ago. … Teams are not calling! … They’re like, ‘Let’s see if we can get them on the cheap,’” Polynice said on Monday’s “Byron Scott’s Fast Break.
Polynice said at the beginning of the show that James tried to make it look like he was leaving the Lakers when it was the other way around.
The Lakers could have offered James a three-year, $182 million extension, but refused to do so. According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, his sources told him that the Lakers weren’t going to offer the 41-year-old “anywhere close to that.”
Meanwhile, Luka Dončić inked a three-year, $165 million deal in August while Austin Reaves signed a four-year, $180 million deal.
For the Lakers to build a championship-contending team, they needed James to make a major discount.
NBA analyst Ric Bucher said a week ago on “On The Ball With Ric Bucher” that James could only remain in Los Angeles if “he was willing to swallow a huge slice of humble pie along with a massive pay cut.”
Paul insisted on the “Game Over” podcast roughly two weeks ago that money isn’t the issue. According to the agent, what matters most to the 41-year-old superstar is his “happiness,” which he said pushed James to spend more time evaluating all options.
Polynice isn’t buying the scenario James and Paul have allegedly been trying to create, claiming that teams are not calling the 21-time All-NBA. The retired 7-footer added that the only interested teams are those who could sign him using leftover salary cap space.
