LA Lakers Jeanie Buss believes that LeBron James is a bargain despite his high salary, citing his on-court performance and off-court value.

LeBron James

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James remains a valuable player considering his prowess despite approaching 40 years. As such, there is no debate whether he adds quality or holds back the squad after signing a massive contract. Even LA Lakers President Jeanie Buss believed it was worth every penny in a recent interview.

LeBron James signed a two-year, $104 million contract extension with the Lakers in July. This will bring his total career earnings to around $500 million. That cap space could have been used to bring in more star players. However, Jeanie Buss doesn’t think it was wasted and considers it a ‘bargain.’

LeBron's so competitive it really has to be something he wants to do. We always support our players and the decisions that they make in regard to playing for their national team or not. It was something that was important to LeBron and yes he’s our highest-paid player, but he’s still a bargain to me.

Jeanie Buss said on the Petros and Money Show

Fresh off captaining the US National Team to a Gold medal at the just concluded Olympics, he will likely hope to repay the owner’s faith and belief in him. As long as James and Anthony Davis remain healthy, the Lakers believe they have a chance at a title.

The four-time champion will have his son, Bronny James, by his side in the upcoming season. Moreover, new head coach JJ Redick will aim to lead the Lakers back to their championship glory. Things didn’t work out with Darvin Ham, and the fresh start will likely benefit everyone.

LeBron James’ agent shut down potential trade to Warriors, citing backlash concerns

Last season, the Golden State Warriors, according to a report by ESPN, had inquired about trading for LeBron James. However, the deal never gained traction. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the reason why the trade talks stalled was due to  James’ agent Rich Paul.

Paul opposed the trade due to concerns about the backlash his client, LeBron James, would face for changing teams again. This hesitation ultimately shut down any possibility of James joining the Warriors and teaming up with Steph Curry.

Yet league sources say that the reported talks between the teams at the time never got that far in large part because James’ agent Rich Paul was adamantly opposed to the idea.

Marc Stein via The Stein Line

The chemistry between Curry and James was evident during the Olympics, leaving fans to wish the deal had somehow gone through. However, Paul’s concerns about James’ public image and potential criticism led him to veto the idea. As such, a dream pairing in the NBA didn’t materialize.