"NBA" Lakers sale will not affect James future plans, and there is no sign that he will leave

Recently, the Bass family has reached an agreement with Mark Walter, CEO and chairman of diversified holding company TWGGlobal, to sell most of the Los Angeles Lakers' equity at a valuation of about $10 billion. The deal will be the highest transaction price record for professional sports teams around the world.

According to sources, the Lakers' decision to sell will not affect the future plans of Lakers star LeBron James. He still needs to decide at the end of this month whether to execute a contract option worth about $56 million next season, or choose to jump out of the contract and become a free agent. It is reported that the Buss family's decision to sell the Lakers has no impact on James' whereabouts next season, and so far there is no sign that the 40-year-old legendary star will not continue to stay with the Lakers next season.

Changes in Lakers boss will not affect James' decision

This season, James played 70 games in the regular season, averaging 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists, 1 steal and 0.6 blocks in 34.9 minutes of playing time, with shooting percentages of 51.3%/37.6%/78.2% respectively in the three events; James played 5 games in the playoffs, and averaged 25.4 points, 9 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 2 steals and 1.8 blocks per game, with shooting percentages of 48.9%/35.7%/77.5% respectively in the three events.

After the Bass family reached a sale agreement with Mark Walter, two Lakers stars James and Luka Doncic were excited about the change, which could bring more capital investment to the team. The change is not just about lineup construction, but the overall environment and facilities of the team will also be further improved. Although Mark Walter has always been known for his boldness in the field of player investment - he once offered a 10-year, $700 million super contract for Japanese baseball superstar Shohei Otani in 2023 (for comparison, Lakers star LeBron James' total salary in his 22-year career is $482 million), this does not mean that the Lakers in the Walter era can break through the salary cap at will and spend a large amount of luxury tax to sign the star.

The Lakers' change of ownership also makes Doncic excited

According to the current NBA labor and capital agreement, when the team's salary approaches or exceeds the second luxury tax line (i.e., exceeds the luxury tax line of $17.5 million), the team will face multiple restrictions such as the inability to use the mini middle class, the inability to trade cash, the inability to sign a contract to buy out players, and the inability to trade in the first round of the next seventh year and beyond. The current league luxury tax line is $178.1 million, while the Lakers' current total salary is $200.7 million, which means that the Lakers cannot take more radical actions in the signing market and can only rely on transactions to strengthen. But with Walter's financial support, the team can invest additional funds in scouting departments, data analysis departments, health and physical fitness teams, etc., thereby creating a more ideal and attractive environment for players.

Text丨Reporter Lu Hang