LeBron James Is Reportedly Refusing To Take A Pay Cut
LeBron James might be nearing the end of his NBA career, but make no mistake, he's not playing like a veteran on his last legs.
After having yet another All-Star season with the Los Angeles Lakers, it's fair to say James has earned one last payday. Of course, that's if he wants to keep playing. A decision on the 2026-27 season won't be made until later this summer.
"I think at some point, up in June, late June, as July rolls around, free agency gets going," James said on his podcast. "As July's rolling maybe into August, we start to kind of get a feel of what my future may look like, if it's continuing to play the game that I love- which I know I can still give so much to the game, and play at a high level- or if it's not."
If James returns for another year, he's not a lock to stay with the Lakers.
Roughly two weeks ago, ESPN insider Brian Windhorst reported that James won't take a pay cut to stay in Los Angeles unless the front office provides a great plan for how they'll retool the roster.
"The Lakers don't want to lose LeBron James, but they don't want to pay him $50 million. The rest of the league isn't going to come bidding at $50 million. … If you want LeBron to take a pay cut, you better bring him a reason to take a pay cut," Windhorst said. "I think LeBron would be open to that. But the concept that he's not as good anymore – you're not getting that from LeBron James. I'll tell you another thing: if you're the Lakers, if you force LeBron to leave, he'll go somewhere else and play for less money."
While the Cleveland Cavaliers have been mentioned as a potential option for James, it doesn't sound like he'll take a hometown discount.
During an appearance on ESPN Cleveland, Windhorst said James isn't interested in taking a cheap contract with the Cavaliers.
"The Cavs, today, can sign LeBron for $3 million," Windhorst said, via Lakers Daily. "He made $54 million this year, okay? To my knowledge, LeBron is not prepared to take that type of pay cut."
Could LeBron be the missing piece for the Cavaliers?
It's hard for Cavaliers fans to think about a championship after witnessing such a beatdown in the Eastern Conference Finals, but their roster isn't that far off.
Adding a proven playoff riser in James would certainly help the Cavaliers close the gap between them and the Knicks. After all, the 41-year-old still averaged 23.2 points, 7.3 assists and 6.7 rebounds per game this postseason.
Free agency for the NBA will begin on June 30 at 6 p.m. ET.
Copyright The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published May 26, 2026 at 12:25 PM.