Multiple choice questions, 52.6 million in one year or 175 million in three years? Is 40-year-old James still worth the maximum salary?

For the Lakers, their 24-25 season journey has officially ended. From the team's perspective, they are not a failure. They won the third record in the Western Conference in the regular season, and although they were eliminated from the first round of the playoffs. But they got Doncic through the transaction, which is their future team building core. This year is the first year of trading, and it is normal that there is no result. James, one of the core team, faces a multiple-choice question this summer. 52.6 million in one year or 175 million in three years? Is 40-year-old James still worth the maximum salary?

In this year's playoffs, James did not play dominant in the face of the young Timberwolves. The Lakers were finally easily eliminated by the Timberwolves 1-4. James averaged 41 minutes per game. As the team's second in command, his performance was still excellent. He averaged 25.4 points, 9 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 2 steals, 1.8 blocks per game, and 2.6 turnovers, 49% shooting percentage, and 36% shooting percentage. The offensive end is not as aggressive as before, but the team's data are the first, and the offense and defense are relatively balanced.

Looking at the regular season stage, James is basically the boss of the team. Because Brother Danny Brow was troubled by injuries in the early stage, he later obtained Doncic through the trade, and Doncic was also injured for a while. James played a total of 70 games in the regular season, and his attendance rate was relatively stable. He averaged 35 minutes per game, averaged 18 shots, and could score 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists. His shooting percentage was 51% and his three-point shooting percentage was 38%. He was still very comprehensive and his shooting performance from the outside was also excellent. James was very important for the Lakers to win the third record in the Western Conference.

James has one year left on his contract, he has the option of a player and his annual salary next season is $52.6 million. For James, the first choice is naturally to execute the contract. The annual salary of $52.6 million is also high enough. James will be 41 years old after playing next year. He will join forces with Doncic to compete for the championship for a year. After the game, he will be officially retired. Whether in terms of age or dominance in the field, James is at the stage of retirement.

The second option is to jump out of the contract, so James can sign a maximum salary contract of US$175 million for three years. Only after three years of playing, James is 43 years old. As he grows older, his strength will undoubtedly continue to decline, so there is no need to play until he is 43 years old.

Last year, James also said he could cut his salary, but the Lakers got nothing in the free market, and James eventually chose to cut his salary by 3 million. If the Lakers can gain something in the market this summer and build a lineup that suits Doncic, then James may choose to cut his salary significantly and help the team win the championship, just like Duncan, Jordan and Nowitzki, and others back then, but this possibility is very low.