Starting on August 4, LeBron James will be eligible for a two year, $97.1 million extension that would keep him under contract through the 2024-25 season. This decision is consequential for the Lakers not just because of the obvious reason of keeping him long-term, but because of the future flexibility it takes away.
Source: Yossi Gozlan @ HoopsHype
What’s the buzz on Twitter?
Michael Scotto @MikeAScotto
Russell Westbrook on playing with LeBron and Anthony Davis next season: “That’s the plan, but nothing is promised. You’ve got to take one day at a time each day… Yes, we want to be able to see what that looks like over an 82-game season, but we’re not sure if that’s guaranteed” pic.twitter.com/mTRjaeSSTz – 1:24 AM
Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
Russell Westbrook on if he’d like to be able to have more chances to play with LeBron James and Anthony Davis next season: “That’s the plan. But nothing is promised. You have to take one day at a time each day.” – 1:16 AM
Kyle Goon @kylegoon
Russ on if he wants more chances to see what he can do with a healthy LeBron and AD: “I mean, that’s the plan. But nothing is promised. … Yes, we want to be able to see what that looks like, what that entails over the course of an 82-game season.” – 1:15 AM
Bill Oram @billoram
Asked by @Dave McMenamin if he wants an opportunity to come back next season and compete with LeBron and AD, Russell Westbrook says, “That’s the plan.” – 1:14 AM
Kyle Goon @kylegoon
LeBron and AD longer a few moments tus to dap up CP, JaVale, Monty, then head to the tunnel. pic.twitter.com/TMKS6eY2BE – 1:02 AM
StatMuse @statmuse
LeBron is averaging 30.3 points at age 37.
His team didn’t even make the play-in. pic.twitter.com/3lqL5Z3XrF – 12:59 AM
Chris Palmer @ChrisPalmerNBA
Strange But True: No. 1 picks from almost 20 years ago (LeBron & Dwight) have played 113 games this year.
No. 1 picks from a few years ago (Zion & Simmons) have played 0. – 12:58 AM
Law Murray @LawMurrayTheNU
Postseason series wins, LeBron teams:
– first Cavs era: 8 in 7 seasons
– Heat era: 14 in 4 seasons
– second Cavs era: 13 in 4 seasons
– Lakers era: 4 in 4 seasons – 12:56 AM
StatMuse @statmuse
The Lakers have 48 losses this season.
The most by a LeBron James team ever. pic.twitter.com/S2YV3T6PrA – 12:51 AM
Bill Oram @billoram
The Lakers lose 121-110. They will miss the playoffs for the second time in LeBron’s four seasons in LA. – 12:49 AM
Ben Golliver @BenGolliver
The Los Angeles Lakers have been officially eliminated from the West’s play-in tournament & the 2022 playoffs.
– LeBron James has appeared in 25 wins this season, the lowest win total for any season during his 19-year career. pic.twitter.com/31UGvkegeZ – 12:49 AM
StatMuse @statmuse
Rims seen by Bron:
3 — Last play-in
0 — This play-in pic.twitter.com/bd6w7ZIdy6 – 12:45 AM
The Ringer @ringernba
LeBron leaving the bench when the Lakers went down by 19 pic.twitter.com/VIZPH2NJu2 – 12:30 AM
Sean Highkin @highkin
I don’t care what anybody says — once we get to the playoffs, I’m NOT betting against LeBron James and Anthony Davis in a series 😤 – 12:29 AM
Micah Adams @MicahAdams13
Lonzo Ball
Darius Garland
Brandon Ingram
LeBron James
Kyle Kuzma
Alex Caruso
Josh Hart
Montrezl Harrell
The Lakers won the 2020 title. But are we sure they don’t win at least one with this crew had they just done… nothing? – 11:34 PM
Zach Kram @zachkram
Not official yet but…
LeBron in Miami: 4 years, 4 finals (2 titles)
LeBron in his CLE return: 4 years, 4 finals (1 title)
LeBron in L.A.: 4 years, 2 missed playoffs, 1 first-round loss, 1 title – 10:06 PM
Micah Adams @MicahAdams13
Joel Embiid overtakes LeBron James for the scoring title lead.
No center has won the scoring title since Shaq in 2000.
Scoring titles by centers
1947-1976: 22
1976-2000: 3
Since 2000: 0 – 9:53 PM
Jim Owczarski @JimOwczarski
For those of you scoring at home re: the NBA scoring champion chase…LeBron James is out injured tonight and Joel Embiid dropped 45 tonight. – 9:22 PM
Duane Rankin @DuaneRankin
LeBron James (ankle) out for #Lakers‘ ‘must-win’ game at #Suns with play-in hopes on line azcentral.com/story/sports/n… via @azcentral – 9:00 PM
Ryan Ward @RyanWardLA
For those that haven’t already heard, LeBron James (ankle) is OUT for tonight’s game against the Suns.
We’ll hear from Frank Vogel shortly on who else maybe ruled out. – 8:51 PM
Keith Pompey @PompeyOnSixers
With his last basket, Joel Embiid has supplanted LeBron James as the scoring leader. Embiid needed 35 points to pass him. He has 36 thus far. – 8:37 PM
Ben Rohrbach @brohrbach
For @The Vertical: Measuring the weight of statistics, losses and legacy in LeBron James’ All-NBA case.
sports.yahoo.com/measuring-the-… – 6:10 PM
Chris Mannix @SIChrisMannix
NEW @TheCrossover Pod w/@Howard Beck: Lakers facing elimination (and what comes next), Ben Simmons wants his money, if the Nets should avoided, more; @Kevin Love on his reserve role, the Cavs success, a LeBron return, more. Links: https://t.co/l8eHfbkR3g pic.twitter.com/npNfoghfPX – 6:03 PM
Dave McMenamin @mcten
New story: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar joined SiriusXM NBA Radio to address the comments he made about @kingjames. “I want to whole-heartedly apologize to LeBron and make it clear to him that I have tremendous respect for him,” @Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said. es.pn/3j92484 – 5:43 PM
NBA Math @NBA_Math
LeBron James can win the scoring title without actually qualifying for the scoring title.
Wait, what?
From @fromal09 on @Sportscasting19: sportscasting.com/lebron-james-n… – 5:30 PM
Dave McMenamin @mcten
New story: Setting the table for Tuesday night in Phoenix where the Lakers will be without LeBron and the Suns can make some history es.pn/3LN37H1 – 4:11 PM
StatMuse @statmuse
Players in the last 5 years with over 2,700 points + assists in a season:
Trae Young (2022)
James Harden (3x)
LeBron James (2018)
Russell Westbrook (2018)
Trae is 1st in total assists (692) and 2nd in total points (2,036) this season. pic.twitter.com/RtkQddAsr5 – 3:35 PM
Chris Mannix @SIChrisMannix
Column: “I think it can add a lot of time to my career.” @KevinLove on his transition to super sub, Cleveland’s surprising success and if the 2016 team text chain offers any clues on LeBron’s future si.com/nba/2022/04/05… – 3:28 PM
Jorge Sierra @hoopshype
OUT TONIGHT
LeBron James
Cole Anthony
Gary Harris
Seth Curry
More: hoopshype.com/lists/nba-inju… – 3:03 PM
Jorge Sierra @hoopshype
LeBron, Giannis and Embiid are fighting for the scoring title, but actually none of them will lead the NBA in points this season.
No. 1 will be either DeRozan or Trae.
Idea to disincentivize load management: Give the scoring title to the guy who actually scores the most points. – 2:56 PM
Kyle Goon @kylegoon
The Lakers could be eliminated tonight, and LeBron James won’t be in the lineup: ocregister.com/2022/04/05/leb… – 2:47 PM
Bill Oram @billoram
Landing in Phoenix to the news that LeBron James will miss his second straight game, and fourth of last five, with ankle sprain. The only remaining intrigue is whether he will make it on the court for the two more games that would qualify him for the scoring title. – 2:14 PM
StatMuse @statmuse
Fun fact: LeBron could theoretically still win the scoring title even though he doesn’t play enough games.
If his total points divided by 58 games (regardless of how many he plays) leads the league, he wins.
Currently that number is 1,695 PTS / 58 = 29.2 PPG. pic.twitter.com/3qrjispnFk – 2:09 PM
Dan Favale @danfavale
if i were the lakers i simply would’ve traded for steph and giannis while also keeping kcp and caruso and ad and lebron and then easily made the playoffs pic.twitter.com/fB22y19Hgj – 2:07 PM
Adam Wexler @AdamJWexler
The Lakers will be eliminated from playoff (play-in tournament) contention with a loss at Suns & a Spurs win at Denver.
Lakers just announced LeBron James will miss tonight’s game w/ ankle soreness. – 2:03 PM
Mark Medina @MarkG_Medina
Lakers say that LeBron James is out tonight vs Phoenix with a left ankle sprain. Lakers are out of play-in if they lost tonight and Spurs win – 2:03 PM
Melissa Rohlin @melissarohlin
LeBron James is out for tonight against Phoenix because of a left ankle sprain, per the Lakers. – 2:02 PM
Dave McMenamin @mcten
LeBron James is out tonight against the Suns with left ankle soreness, per the Lakers. – 2:01 PM
Mike Bresnahan @Mike_Bresnahan
Lakers announce that LeBron James is out for tonight’s game in Phoenix because of his sprained ankle. – 1:59 PM
Marc J. Spears @MarcJSpears
Lakers say LeBron James (left ankle sprain) is out for tonight’s game at Phoenix. – 1:58 PM
Brad Turner @BA_Turner
LeBron James is out with left ankle sprain for Lakers at Suns, per team. – 1:58 PM
Shams Charania @ShamsCharania
Lakers star LeBron James (ankle) will miss second consecutive game tonight vs. Suns. – 1:57 PM
Kyle Goon @kylegoon
Lakers have announced LeBron is OUT tonight in Phoenix – 1:57 PM
Mike Trudell @LakersReporter
LeBron is out tonight at Phoenix due to his left ankle sprain. – 1:57 PM
StatMuse @statmuse
Players 35 or older to average 10 PPG and 10 APG in a season:
Steve Nash (3x)
LeBron James (2020)
Chris Paul (2022)
The first time the point god has averaged a double-double since the 2016 season. pic.twitter.com/BAmqekGjWA – 1:47 PM
Bob Garcia @bgarciaivsports
LeBron James’ sustained excellence has pushed Julius Erving to voice that he will redefine the GOAT standard.
#Lakers #LakeShow #NBA
sportscasting.com/lebron-james-i… – 1:33 PM
Kamenetzky Brothers @KamBrothers
Tuesday’s @LockedOnLakers podcast! We talk the hypocrisy, bad facts, and hilarity of Magic saying *he* set up the Lakers w/ DeRozan – part of a core w/Buddy Hield, KCP and Caruso! – but LeBron/Pelinka chose Russ instead. @LockedOnNBAPods @LockedOnNetwork
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mag… – 10:58 AM
Tommy Beer @TommyBeer
Total number of playoff wins over the last 20 years:
The New York Knicks team: 8
LeBron James: 174 – 10:55 AM
Chris Broussard @Chris_Broussard
Was Kareem out of line with his comments about LeBron? Is Embiid the MVP candidate he thinks he is? #NationalChampionship & more! Guests: @Aaron_Torres @Kerry_Kittles30 @Mark Medina
Catch us live weeknights 7-10p ET on @FoxSportsRadio & @iHeartRadio podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the… – 10:30 AM
Tas Melas @TasMelas
All-NBA ballot position oddities:
Luka Doncic eligible at forward and guard ✅
DeMar DeRozan eligible at forward ✅ and guard
Jayson Tatum eligible at forward and guard (????)
LeBron eligible at forward ✅ and guard
Jokic/Embiid eligible at forward and center ✅ ✅ – 9:49 AM
Tommy Beer @TommyBeer
Since the All-Star break, IQ is averaging 15.2 points, 5.1 rebs, 4.2 assists & 2.0 treys while shooting over 39% from deep.
The only players to match or exceed those numbers in those categories are:
KD, Middleton, Tatum, LaMelo, M. Brides, Luka and LeBron
tommybeer.substack.com/p/quickley-pos… – 9:33 AM
Kurt Helin @basketballtalk
Magic Johnson says he wanted DeRozan on Lakers, LeBron pushed for Westbrook nba.nbcsports.com/2022/04/05/mag… – 9:01 AM
More on this storyline
Given the Lakers history of taking care of their stars, it seems like a good possibility that they will offer him the extension. He might not be in a rush to sign it in the offseason since he can sign it during the regular season, so he might as well see how the roster shakes out first. Not signing the extension could put a lot of pressure on the organization to mold the roster in a way James sees fit. -via HoopsHype / April 6, 2022
LeBron James has one year left on his contract with the Lakers but is eligible for an extension in August. Windhorst indicated the superstar will make his decision based on the team’s moves in the offseason but also noted James enjoys his current spot. “LeBron loves living in L.A., loves raising his kids there, loves sending them to Sierra Canyon,” Windhorst said (5:00). “I don’t think he wants to move.” -via Bleacher Report / March 29, 2022
LeBron is extension-eligible at two years, $97 million. If he wanted a trade to a new team, it would be two years, $95 million. Even once he becomes extension eligible with the Lakers, I wouldn’t think he takes it immediately because he has all season to sign it with the Lakers and also maybe wants to keep his options open and keep applying pressure on the Lakers throughout the season. -via HoopsHype / February 23, 2022
