NBA executive: James is wrong in executing player options He should sign the Cavaliers as a free agent

July 19th News Recently, Hoops Wire reporter Ashish Mathur wrote an article reporting on the relationship between James and the Lakers.

LeBron James chose to execute the 2025-26 season player option with the Los Angeles Lakers, worth $52.6 million. This was the last year he entered his contract for the first time in his career.

Sources revealed that James hopes that the Lakers will introduce immediate players by trading future draft picks this year to compete for the championship next season. However, sources revealed that Lakers general manager Pelinka hopes to maintain as flexibility as possible from the next offseason so that the team can find Luca Doncic's future partner through free markets or trades. By then, the Lakers will be able to use first-round picks in 2026, 2031 and 2033 in one deal.

At present, James and the Lakers management do not agree. Therefore, an NBA executive in an interview with Hoops Wire believed that James should have refused to execute his player option and instead signed with his hometown team, the Cavaliers.

"I wouldn't tell someone here to reject a salary of over $50 million, but LeBron is already a billionaire," the executive said. "He makes enough money off the court. If I were a member of his team, I would recommend him to reject the player option in the Lakers and sign the Cavaliers. That would be a wise choice.

"Do you know how powerful the Cavaliers will be? LeBron starts with Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen and Dalius Garland? They can easily reach the NBA Finals, which will be a fairy tale ending for LeBron. I think he made a wrong decision. ”

Due to James' high salary, the Cavaliers cannot get him through the trade. The only way the Cavaliers can get James is that James and the Lakers reach a buyout agreement before the start of the new season and then sign the Cavaliers as free agents.