player option

Lakers superstar LeBron James will once again make NBA history by playing in his 23rd NBA season.

James exercised his player option for $52.6 million to play for the Lakers during the 2025-26 season, his agent and CEO of Klutch Sports Rich Paul told The Times on Sunday morning.

James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, had been tied with Vince Carter for the most seasons played in the NBA at 22. This will be James’ eighth season with the Lakers.

James, 40, is 50 games away from breaking Hall of Famer Robert Parish’s record for the most games played in the regular season.

James averaged 24.4 points per game last season, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds.

Fellow Laker Dorian Finney-Smith reportedly declined his $15.3-million player option and will pursue free agency, a person with knowledge of his decision told The Times. Finney-Smith, who is coming off a strong season with the Lakers, is expected to be pursued by multiple teams. He could still return to the Lakers. ESPN was first to report Finney-Smith’s decision.

Last week, Austin Reaves declined the team’s maximum offer of four years for $89 million, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.

Reaves, 27, still has two years left on his deal, for $13.9 million next season and $14.9 million in the 2026-27 season, and he holds a player option for the last year of his deal.

Lakers forward LeBron James (23) and teammate Austin Reaves react to a referee’s call during a 2025 NBA playoff game against Minnesota.

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

He was third on the Lakers in scoring last season, averaging career-highs in scoring (20.2), assists (5.8), rebounds (4.5) and minutes per game (34.9). He shot 46% from the field and 37.7% from three-point range.

With the James and Smith player option questions resolved Sunday, the Lakers are focused on filling out their roster. They added an athletic wing player when they acquired Adou Thiero in a trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves, who drafted him with the 36th pick in the second round.

The most pressing need for the Lakers remains a center, and they’ll have to look into free agency or via trade to acquire one.

The Lakers have the taxpayer mid-level exception of about $5.65 million to spend.

“As I said at the end of the year, we know one of the things we have to address is the center position and that’s clearly going to be one of our focuses as we begin the free-agency period,” Rob Pelinka, the Lakers’ president of basketball operations, told Spectrum SportsNet after the second round of the draft Thursday. “… “So, we’re looking forward to just putting in the hard work and making sure we take care of all the needs on the roster to give [Lakers coach] JJ [Redick] the tools he needs for this team to be great next season.”

The Lakers and Clippers put in the work during the NBA’s two-day draft that was completed Thursday night and now they will turn their attention to shaping their rosters.

The first key dates are Sunday, when LeBron James and Dorian Finney-Smith have to inform the Lakers and when James Harden has to inform the Clippers of their decisions to opt in or out of their contracts, and Monday, when the NBA free-agency period begins.

James has a player option for $52.6 million and Finney-Smith has one for $15.3 million.

“At that point, we’ll know the tools we have to go out into free agency and fill out the roster with the draft ending tonight,” Rob Pelinka, the Lakers’ president of basketball operations, told Spectrum SportsNet after the second round of the draft Thursday. “The work for that has already begun, but the focus now will turn from draft focus to free agency and we won’t rest until we get it right.”

Harden, who has a player option of $36.3 million, also has the same day to let the Clippers know his desires.

“He’s our No. 1 priority,” Lawrence Frank, the Clippers’ president of basketball operations, told the media after the first round of the draft Wednesday night. “We’re super hopeful that James is here and he’s here for a long time. He has a player-option, so he can opt-in … or he can opt-out and hopefully we can do a deal that makes sense for both sides. But James, as you guys know, was phenomenal and we hope to continue to see his play.”

The Lakers were able to add an athletic wing player when they acquired Adou Thiero in a trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves, who picked him with the 36th pick of the second round.

The most pressing need for the Lakers remains a center, and they’ll have to look into free agency or via trade to acquire one.

The top big men are Indiana’s Myles Turner, Milwaukee’s Brook Lopez and Atlanta’s Clint Capela.

Turner, who made $19.9 million last season, is probably headed back to the Pacers and will do so at a price the Lakers can’t offer him. The Lakers have the taxpayer mid-level exception of about $5.65 million to spend.

“As I said at the end of the year, we know one of the things we have to address is the center position and that’s clearly going to be one of our focuses as we begin the free-agency period,” Pelinka said on the Lakers’ TV show. “And that’s right around the corner.

“So, we’re looking forward to just putting in the hard work and making sure we take care of all the needs on the roster to give [Lakers coach] JJ [Redick] the tools he needs for this team to be great next season.”

Though the Clippers drafted a center in the first round with the 30th pick, getting Yanic Konan Niederhausher of Penn State, Frank said his team “probably will have at least three centers.”

The Clippers can use their non-taxpayer mid-level exception that’s projected to be about $14.1 million on a player or two, and perhaps even find a center.

They will also perform due diligence by calling other teams to see about trade opportunities.

“You’re always in constant contact with all the teams,” Frank said. “You have a good sense of the things that you can be involved with and other things that you’re not.”

Free agency begins Monday at 3 p.m. PDT, but players can’t sign contracts until July 6.

Also, Clippers wing Norman Powell is eligible for a contract extension. He has one year left on his deal that pays him $20.4 million next season.

“At the appropriate time, we’ll sit with Norm and his representatives to talk about what kind of an extension and what it would look like and how it would fit in the bigger picture,” Frank said.

The most pressing need the Lakers have is finding a rim-running, shot-blocking young center to put alongside Luka Doncic for the present and future.

But the Lakers don’t have a first-round pick to use in Wednesday night’s NBA draft, and when they do make their choice in the second round at No. 55 on Thursday night in the two-day event, that’s probably not where they are going to find that sort of talent.

So, the Lakers will look for the proverbial “best player available” and look to develop him and most likely have him play for the South Bay Lakers, their G League team.

The big news for the Lakers will be the contract status of Doncic, LeBron James, Austin Reaves and Dorian Finney-Smith.

The Clippers, on the other hand, have the last pick in the first round of the draft, at No. 30. They also have the 51st overall pick in the second round.

And they too will be looking for the best player available with those selections.

With the unlikelihood of the draft providing them a rotation player, the Lakers will continue to build their team in other ways, from free agency to trades.

James, 40, has a player option for next season at $52.6 million and he has to let the Lakers know of his decision by June 29. He can opt-in to his deal with an extension or opt-out and sign a new contract.

James averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists and shot 51.3% from the field per game last season, and he was named to the All-NBA second team.

Doncic can sign an extension with the Lakers starting on Aug. 2. He will earn $45.9 million next season and $48.9 million for the 2026-27 season if he exercises his option.

He can sign a four-year extension for $229 million, with the $51-million first-year of that deal replacing his player option from 2026-27. Or Doncic could sign a three-year extension for $165 million, and that would include a player option for the third season.

Reaves is eligible to sign an extension off his $13.9-million salary for next season starting July 6. Reaves can sign a four-year deal for $89.2 million.

Finney-Smith has a player option that will pay him $15.3 million, and he too is looking for an extension.

Lawrence Frank, the president of basketball operations for the Clippers, talked in May about the team’s needs in the draft.

Frank said the Clippers could use some frontcourt help, a playmaker and some shooting.

Several NBA mock drafts have the Clippers taking Noah Penda at No. 30. He’s a 6-foot-8 forward from France. Penda, 20, played last season at Le Mans, where he averaged 10.9 points and 6.1 rebounds.

“In the draft, typically you’re always going for the best available, especially if it’s a younger player,” Frank told the media in May after the team had been eliminated from the first round of the playoffs by the Denver Nuggets. “Because by the time that player hits his prime, our team will be completely different. … So, you are drafting best available, but we have certain characteristics that we really prioritize.

“Positional size is important to us. Basketball IQ and processing is important to us. The ability to pass, dribble and shoot is important to us. And then the DNA, the makeup, the toughness, the competitiveness, examples of where they are really shown resiliency, grit. So, there’s a lot of things into it, but those typically are kind of in general of how we look at it.”

Clippers veterans James Harden, Nicolas Batum and Norman Powell also have contract decisions to make.

Harden has a player option for $36.3 million and he has to inform the Clippers of his decision by June 29. The consensus around the NBA is that Harden will opt out and seek a two-year extension from the Clippers.

Harden, 35, who averaged 22.8 points, 8.7 assists and 5.8 rebounds, made the All-Star team and was All-NBA third team.

Batum, a favorite of his teammates and Clippers coach Tyronn Lue, has a player option for next season that pays him $4.9 million and he has to let the team know by June 29 of his decision.

Powell, 32, has one more year on his deal that pays him $20.4 million next season. Powell, who averaged a career-high 21.8 points per game, also is likely looking for an extension.