“LeBron wants to compete for a championship. He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all,” said LeBron James’ agent, Rich Paul. The 4x NBA Champion picking up his $52.6 million player option meant he would be an unrestricted agent in 2026. Rich Paul’s remarks highlighted that LeBron is keeping all his options open right now, and is willing to go to another team if he cannot win a championship with the Lakers.
This puts pressure on a front office that reportedly wanted to focus on long-term players. Furthermore, having already committed $176.210 million in salaries, incurring any additional cost would lead to major fines, which will further affect their ability to make short-term changes. Therefore, Colin Cowherd believes that if LeBron wants change, he has to change what he gets, too.
In the recent episode of ‘The Herd with Colin Cowherd’, the 61-year-old sports media personality touched base on LeBron James’ recent demands. He argued against the viewpoint that the NBA All-Time Scorer is all about ‘winning’. While Cowherd admitted that the player competes and plays ‘winning basketball’ on the individual level, it does not matter if the team, as a whole, is not up to a championship-contending level.
As Cowherd highlighted, the “Lakers need at least two centers”, since that is what Oklahoma City and the Knicks have. Other better teams in the league have got a couple of bigs. Additionally, the team would be better off with two wing defenders, too. Unfortunately, getting them won’t be easy since “you can’t do it if you’re taking maxes”. Therefore, if LeBron James wants to win, he has to sacrifice some of that $52.6 million.
“So again, what is it? Are you about winning? Because I’ve seen Ohtani take pay cuts and Josh Allen and Tom Brady and Tim Duncan and Jalen Brunson. That’s about winning,” said Cowherd. “Tom did it for winning, he was the best quarterback in the world, and he kept taking pay cuts”.
Shohei Ohtani made headlines back in 2023 after he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers for a 10 year-$700 million salary. However, that wasn’t the end of it. Later, it was revealed that the baseball legend wanted to defer $680 million of his $700 million pay, aka over 97% of the amount. The Dodgers had to pay him only $2 million in each of the next 10 seasons, through 2033, after which they would owe him the $68 million in each of the 10 years after that, through 2043.
The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya reports that the deal was made “in an effort to enable the Dodgers to continue spending around stars Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman”. The deferral helped the Dodgers to have more money for CBT purposes in 2023.
Shohei Ohtani just signed a 10YR/700M Contract With The LA Dodgers.
That comes out to:
$70 Million/YR
$5.83M/Month
$1.45M/Week
$207k/Day
$8,630/HR
$143/minute
$2.39/Second
Every second for the next 10 years playing or not. Fully Guaranteed. Not including his off field deals.… pic.twitter.com/BlEpAUImby
— Buster (@BusterScher) December 9, 2023
Along with being one of the best NFL players of all time, Tom Brady also created a reputation for taking pay cuts, even if his teams won the Super Bowl. By February 2019, after he had played for 19 years, Brady had reportedly sacrificed at least $60 million-$100 million. New England Patriots’ former Vice President, Scott Piolo, said the pay cuts played a major role in extending the winning streaks of the Patriots’ dynasty. Piolo clearly recalled how, when the NFL star once came to renegotiate his contract and reduce the amount paid to him, his exact words were “If I can’t live the rest of my life off of $60 million, and my family, I’ve got problems”.
Well, LeBron James does not have $60 million. He has a whopping $1.2 billion! He is 1 of only 4 NBA athletes to have hit the billion mark in their lifetime, and the only active one to have done so. If there is anyone in the modern NBA who can afford to take a pay cut, it is LeBron James.
With enough convincing, perhaps the 40-year-old might be more open to taking the cut. After all, it is not as if he hasn’t done it before. LeBron took a $15 million pay cut back in 2010, when he joined the Miami Heat. Along with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, he strategically structured his contracts to allow the Heat to sign all three stars in a move that would usher in one of the best NBA teams of the 2010s. He even offered to take a substantial pay cut of around $15 million to help the Lakers add talent in the offseason. Then, what is the issue right now? If you think that Colin Cowherd is alone in having this opinion, you’re wrong.
After all, another renowned reporter had suggested it around 2 months before everyone started discussing it.
Rachel Nichols urged LeBron James to take a veteran minimum contract
It is no secret that the Lakers were in a bit of a dilemma even before the recent update about LeBron. With Luka Doncic being eligible for a massive contract extension, the team could not facilitate two max contracts and add another star at the same time to bolster the roster. Additionally, losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs showed gaps in defense and depth, especially at the Center spot. Salary cap constraints and low trade assets would prevent any major acquisitions from fixing the team. That is, unless LeBron had heard Rachel Nichols’ advice.
Back in May, the Fox Sports 1 reporter was the guest on, wait for it, ‘The Herd with Colin Cowherd’. During the same time, Nichols proposed that LeBron should take a veteran-minimum contract. Basing her belief on the player’s net worth, she said, “He is a billionaire. So, how much money does he make in the next year or two? It’s not even going to put a dent in his grandchildren’s grandchildren’s grandchildren’s pockets. And if I were LeBron, the thing you cannot buy with whatever amount of money you do get in that contract is championship rings”.
Nov 15, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) during the second half against the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images
According to Nichols, taking the league minimum meant the Lakers could get a third “really sort of huge superstar”. That way, not only could LeBron win another ring, he could also stick around and fulfill his desire of playing alongside his youngest son, Bryce, too. In the meantime, he could get two rings and be on Michael Jordan’s level.
Well, LeBron didn’t listen to Rachel Nichols. He did not choose the path of Tom Brady and Shohei Ohtani. At least not yet. Whether he does so in the coming days will be something people will be waiting to know.
The post LeBron James Urged to Repeat Tom Brady, Shohei Ohtani’s Actions Amid Lakers’ Dilemma appeared first on EssentiallySports.
