Los Angeles Lakers: Ranking three worst contracts

LeBron James

LeBron James! On a bad contract? Blasphemy! LeBron was originally in my three best contracts list but then the Lakers decided to give him a combined $85 million for his age 38 and 39 seasons. Remember, age is one of the most crucial factors in determining how valuable a contract is and there have been precious few players in history who have been worth that amount of money that close to 40.

The two exceptions that come to mind are Karl Malone and John Stockton who were both exceptional late into their careers. The fact that LeBron has Malone’s body and now Stockton’s game may make me look foolish betting against him but there are a few reasons why.

The first reason is that the game is played at a much faster pace today than it was back at the turn of the millennium. In 2001-02, Stockton’s age 39 and Malone’s age 38 seasons, the average NBA game was played at a pace of 90.7 possessions per 48 minutes. Flashforward to 2019-20 and that number has ballooned 100.3 possessions per 48 minutes.

Second, the increase in 3-point shooting over the past two decades has expanded the amount of area a player has to defend. So not only are their more possessions a game but those possessions themselves are more energy-intensive. If someone complains about how players used to play more games back in the day, tell them it’s because the games weren’t as physically taxing.

James’ contract won’t be bad this year and maybe not next year. But the chances of LeBron shattering the notion of human aging over the next four years is a massive gamble. The only reason LeBron got this extension is because of how well he has done staving off age-related decline. Banking on that continuing as he approaches 40-years-old with 21 NBA seasons and another 18 playoff runs is optimistic beyond reasonable measures.

None of this will matter if the Lakers pick up another title or two. Having LeBron on the books for that type of money at that age will put the franchise under a tremendous amount of strain just as they’re trying to tie Anthony Davis down for that back end of his prime. If the Lakers find themselves in a similar position as the one they were in pre-Lebron, it’s this contract that will bear the brunt of the responsibility.