James may set an NBA record for salary reduction! Next season he could earn $48.73 million less: from max contract to minimum salary?

On February 23rd Beijing time, the popular American outlet HoopsHype stated that James could undergo a major salary reduction next season, possibly creating a new NBA record for the biggest pay cut. Here is the media’s analysis—

In our view, LeBron James, arguably the greatest player in NBA history, holds numerous league records: all-time leading scorer, most selections to the All-NBA First Team, most All-Star appearances, most consecutive games scoring in double digits, most games with 20+ and 30+ points in the regular season, most playoff wins, and many more.

This summer, he is very likely to break another NBA record—the largest salary cut in league history.

This season, James’s salary is $52.63 million, and his guaranteed career earnings have surpassed $580 million, making him the highest-paid player in NBA history.

However, if recent rumors are true and James leaves the Lakers this summer to return to his hometown and join the Cavaliers for the third time in his career, the pay cut he would face would be staggering.

Because unless there is a shocking trade involving Mitchell or Mobley, the Cavaliers will be constrained by the salary cap and luxury tax limits, and are expected to offer James only a veteran minimum contract.

This means James’s salary for the 2026-27 season would be just $3.9 million, approximately $48.73 million less than his final season salary with the Lakers. This would mark the largest single-season salary drop in NBA history.

Currently, the biggest salary cut in NBA history is held by Russell Westbrook: from $47.1 million in the 2022-23 season down to $3.8 million in 2023-24.

Following Westbrook is Blake Griffin, who dropped from a $32.4 million salary in 2021-22 to just $2.9 million in 2022-23.

Klay Thompson is another NBA legend who took a significant pay cut: from $32.4 million in 2023-24 down to $15.9 million in 2024-25.

Before James potentially breaks the record, the fifth largest salary reduction in NBA history was his former teammate Kevin Love: from $30.6 million in 2022-23 down to $3.8 million in 2023-24.

Of course, all this talk might not come to pass. Reports say the Lakers are willing to re-sign James and hold his Bird rights, allowing them to offer him a max contract of $58.1 million for the 2026-27 season. However, given the current situation, the likelihood of the Lakers renewing at that price seems low.

Even if James’s next contract pays around $9 million for the 2026-27 season, he would still set the NBA record for the largest pay cut. If the next deal is worth $20 million, it would still be the second largest salary drop in NBA history.

Therefore, beyond the usual debates about whether he will retire, we are equally curious about what James’s next contract will look like—he very well might make NBA history once again regarding his salary.