2 days Ago By Zach Buckley
The 2024 NBA offseason has been an eventful one for the Los Angeles Lakers. Even if free agency has been a bit quiet. The Lakers have made a coaching change, a pair of draft picks and a lot of buzz on the rumor mill.
They've even made just enough noise on the free agent front that we can hand out a few letter grades for their early activity. LeBron James has reportedly committed to returning to Los Angeles, agreeing to a two-year, $104 million contract, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. James could even consider leaving some money on the table to help improve this supporting cast.
Wojnarowski reported James' agent Rich Paul is in talks with the Lakers to take "$1 million or so" below the max to keep the team below the second apron and open up roster flexibility. Honestly, though, whatever money—if any—James sacrificed wouldn't change this grade. Even without knowing the terms of his next agreement, it's a home run for Hollywood that the King is headed nowhere.
Grade: A+ While players taken in the first round have fully guaranteed contracts coming their way, second-round picks are afforded no such certainty. Well, not unless the team that drafts them extends that courtesy. And the Lakers are doing exactly that with Bronny James, LeBron's son and the No.
55 pick in last month's draft. Per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, James will sign a multiyear, guaranteed deal with the Lakers. On the surface, that feels like a sizable investment in a player who played.
