LeBron James Says He Took $3 Million Pay Cut To Protect The Lakers From 2nd Apron

LeBron James finally spoke about his new contract with the Los Angeles Lakers during press interactions for Team USA ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics. James candidly revealed that he took a $3 million pay cut on his latest contract because he's trying to help the Lakers get under the second apron .

"Me being able to be in a situation where I can protect the franchise under the second apron, understanding this new thing is very hard on a lot of teams as far as them trying to get better and whatever the case may be. I'm, I've been in a relationship with the Lakers going on seven years. I'm absolutely OK with [taking a pay cut]."

LeBron leaving a couple of million on the table doesn't hurt his net worth that majorly, given he's the only active NBA player to become a billionaire. The status of having a max contract lets him know that he's the most valuable player on the team and is a star.

James was willing to take a pay cut to facilitate major offseason additions like Klay Thompson, but with the Lakers failing to land a new star, a pay cut made no sense for LeBron as the Lakers don't have any realistic targets who deserve a large portion of cap space, especially with the new apron rules.

James averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 8.3 assists last season. There's no doubt in anyone's mind that James is worth the contract he gets, though many have wondered why James doesn't take the same pay cuts legends such as Dirk Nowitzki and Tim Duncan took to try and maximize the team's championship window.

LeBron James Reacts To The Lakers' Dismal Offseason

The Lakers haven't made any moves since the 2024 NBA Draft, meaning No. 17 selection Dalton Knecht is looking to be the team's most notable offseason acquisition, along with Bronny James. Bronny isn't expected to play much over the season, meaning the Lakers are placing a huge bet on Knecht's NBA readiness.

James reacted to the names the Lakers were linked to and missed out on this offseason .

"It takes two to tango. I think our front office, our coaching staff, they tried to do the job that they wanted to do or tried to get guys to come and it didn't happen. 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."`

James spoke about the team's failed pursuit of Klay Thompson, DeMar DeRozan, and Jonas Valuncuinas.

"So we don't sit here and lie about or cry about it. We move on and Klay's a great player. Obviously DeMar's a great player. Valanciunas was one of those guys who ended up going to Washington, was someone that was in talks with us, but we move on to see how we continue to get better... I'm looking forward to this fall when I get back out there."

There are no major free agency additions on the Lakers so far this season unless D'Angelo Russell opting into his team option counts in this instance. LeBron was diplomatic and polite about the Lakers' current state, but he has to be feeling some sort of internal anxiety about going into next season with the same roster which proved to be incapable of winning this season.

Related: Los Angeles Lakers Are Below Second Apron By Just $45K: What This Mean For Them?

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