Up to 3 years 175 million! Zhan Huang is still the number one star in the free market: 5 million salary cut to help the Lakers?

On June 16, Beijing time, the well-known American media The Athletic announced a list of the top 25 free agents in the summer of 2025, and the 40-year-old James ranked first.According to salary expert Marks, if James refuses to exercise his $52.6 million player option, he could re-sign up to a three-year, $175 million max contract with the Lakers.

The Athletic lamented in the article that the most amazing thing is that the 40-year-old James still maintains good enough competitive condition and durability. For Lao Zhan, exercising the player option to stay with the team is the most straightforward option, and if that happens, his trade veto clause will remain in effect. Shams also reported in May that there were signs that James was leaning towards the execution option.

Of course, he also has other options, such as jumping out of his contract and re-signing at a lower salary, helping the Lakers use the "full mid-range exception" to add more talent below the No. 1 line.

If James does so, he will usually be traded for a player option for the 2026-27 season。 As long as the Lakers cut Kleber and pay him in installments, and James accepts a $5 million pay cut, the Lakers can use the full mid-range exception(Most likely for signing a free agent center). James could renegotiate the veto clause in a new contract, but that would require a whole new negotiation process.

However, it was previously reported that James will most likely not accept another pay cut. What kind of choice he will make, there will be a clear answer in half a month.

Attached: The Athletic's Top 25 Free Agent Rankings -

1-5: 1. James, 2. Harden, 3. Irving, 4. VanVleet, 5. Giddey;

6-10: 6. Turner, 7. Randall, 8. Reid, 9. Aldama, 10. Keane-Ellis;

11-15: 11. Kuminga, 12. Russell, 13. Cam Thomas, 14. Beasley, 15. Big Lopez;

16-20: 16. Tre Jones, 17. Alexander Walker, 18. John Collins, 19. Horford, 20. Kevin Porter Jr.;

21-25: 21. Grimes, 22. Paul, 23. LeVert, 24. Portis, 25. Capela