For the first time in 14 years, LeBron James will not be paid the maximum salary, and his two million “financial sacrifice” will allow the Lakers to recruit, and to avoid being limited by the new collective agreement. For him, it was normal to make this gesture since it benefits the team, and therefore him in the end.
“It’s because we’re in a relationship, and anyone who knows relationships knows it’s all about commitment,” he told ESPN. ” It's also about doing things to help both sides. We've been working together for seven years… That's why.”
This “sacrifice” allowed the Lakers to take advantage of a “mid-level exception” at $12.9 million, and the Lakers thought they could get James Harden, Klay Thompson, DeMar DeRozan and Jonas Valanciunas. No luck, none of them came!
A virtually unchanged group
“It takes two to tango,” illustrates LeBron James about the Lakers' failed approaches. “Our front office and our staff have tried things or tried to bring guys in, and it hasn’t happened. And that’s OK. That’s part of the business. I’ve been in this business long enough to know that sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn’t. We’re not going to sit here and whine or lie. We’re moving forward. Klay’s a great player. DeMar’s obviously a great player. Valanciunas was one of those players, and he ended up going to Washington. He was someone that was in talks with us… But we’re moving forward to see how we can get better. I’m looking forward to this fall.”
In the end, the Lakers didn't sign any free agents, but LeBron James is happy to leave with the same group.
” Of course “, he responds about the Lakers' potential to play for the title. “Because we’ve done it before. We’ve done it before and we still have two guys that are committed every day, with AD and me. We’re committed to excellence and winning. And we believe that in any situation, in any year, we can put ourselves in a position to succeed. And we’re not that far off. A year ago, we were in the conference finals. Sure, this year, it didn’t go as well as last year. It didn’t go as well as we wanted it to, but we’re not that far off. Sure, there’s so many teams in the West, but we’re not that far off.”
Mid-level exception : envelope of approximately $13 million that is available each year to recruit all NBA franchises that do not pay luxury tax. They can use it on one or more players. A team that must pay the luxury tax only has $5.2 million. Since 2023/24, if a team significantly exceeds the high bar of the salary cap (by more than $17.5 million), it loses its “mid-level exception”
