At most, 175 million will be signed for three years! James is still the number one star in the free market: a 5 million salary cut will help the Lakers?

On June 16, the well-known US media The Athletic released a list of the top 25 free agents in the summer of 2025, with 40-year-old James ranked first. According to salary expert Marks, if James refuses to execute the $52.6 million player option, he can re-sign up to a three-year, $175 million maximum salary contract with the Lakers.

The Athletic sighed in the article that the most amazing thing is that 40-year-old James still maintains excellent competitive state and durability. For James, executing the player option to stay in the team is the most direct choice. If so, his veto clause of his transaction will continue to be valid. Shams also reported in May that there were signs that James was inclined to execute options.

Of course, he also has other options, such as jumping out of the contract and re-signing with a lower salary, helping the Lakers use the "full middle-class special case" to add more talents below the first tycoon line.

If James does this, he will usually get the player option for the 2026-27 season. As long as the Lakers cut Cleber and paid his salary in installments, and James accepted a $5 million salary cut, the Lakers could use the full middle class exception (most likely to be used to sign a free agent center). James can renegotiate the deal veto clause in a new contract, but this requires a completely new negotiation process.

However, there have been reports that James is likely to not accept salary cuts again. What choice will he make, there will be a clear answer in half a month.

Attachment: The Athletic's top 25 free agent rankings—

No. 1-5:1. James, 2. Harden, 3. Irving, 4. VanVleet, 5. Gidedy;

No. 6-10:6. Turner, 7. Randall, 8. Reed, 9. Aldama, 10. Keane Ellis;

No. 11-15:11. Kumingga, 12. Russell, 13 .Cam Thomas, 14. Beasley, 15. Greater Lopez;

16-20: 16. Trey Jones, 17. Alexander Walker, 18. John Collins, 19. Horford, 20. Kevin Porter Jr.;

21-25: 21. Grames, 22. Paul, 23. Leville, 24. Portis, 25. Capela