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The LA Lakers have officially announced that LeBron James has signed a two-year extension with the franchise. The new contract, worth $97.1 at the time of signing, guarantees LeBron will stay a Laker until the 2023-24 NBA season. The 2024-25 campaign will have a player option.
The Lakers now have some stability regarding their offseason plans moving forward. James extending his contract means the Purple and Gold can look to improve their roster. They can also capitalize on their championship window with LeBron James as their leader.
ESPN's NBA insider Dave McMenamin commented on the LA Lakers' plans moving forward and what LeBron's thoughts are after signing an extension. McMenamin believes that the four-time NBA MVP wants to get to the playoffs, where he feels that he always has a chance of going all the way.
"LeBron just wants to be in a situation where he can compete for the playoffs once again," said McMenamin on the NBA Today show. "Once he's in the playoffs he feels like 'I got a chance.' More often than not, when he makes the postseason, he's in the NBA Finals."
Teams around the league are fans of playing against LeBron James in the playoffs. To top that off, if Anthony Davis manages to stay healthy in the postseason, the odds could favor the LA Lakers on several occasions.
LA Lakers need more talent around LeBron James and Anthony Davis to have a better opportunity at a top-six finish
The playoffs are a different ball game, but getting there isn't an easy task, especially in the stacked Western Conference. The LA Lakers are well aware of that, having failed to achieve direct qualification in the 2020-21 campaign. They also failed to make the play-in tournament, let alone the playoffs last season.
The Lakers have relied on their franchise cornerstones, LeBron James and Anthony Davis, to deliver results nightly. This isn't an ideal scenario considering both superstars have been injury-prone since their 2020 championship win.
The LA Lakers will have to make moves right now to have a healthy record in the regular season. On paper, several other teams have better, well-rounded rosters, which can produce wins without their star players. That could prove to be a stumbling block for LeBron James and Co., eventually seeing them fall into the play-in bracket again.
The Lakers shouldn't take too long to seal the necessary deals. If a star player like Kyrie Irving isn't available, GM Rob Pelinka and his crew should turn their attention to impact role players, who can make sure the team stays afloat in the absence of James and Davis.
Guess the Lakers players!
