As LeBron James discusses signing a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, the topic of the Lakers superstar’s future has come up. It seems likely that James will be dealing with year-to-year terms under his contract for the rest of his career.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said the biggest factor in determining how long James plays is his health, but the second biggest factor is when the NBA plans to expand.
“The most important thing, other than health, is that LeBron’s career will be over by the time the league owners set a timeline for when they’re going to put an expansion team in Las Vegas,” Windhorst said. “I think once the TV rights deal is finalized, we’ll have discussions about expansion.”
“(James) wants to work with partners and be the face of the franchise in Las Vegas,” Windhorst added.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has repeatedly said that the league will move toward expansion once a media rights deal is completed. That deal is expected to be done soon. Silver said several cities have expressed interest in hosting NBA teams, with Seattle and Las Vegas being the most prominent.
