Lakers To Pursue James Harden, Klay Thompson, Jonas Valanciunas With MLE

06/29/2024 06:18 PM

James Harden, Klay Thompson and Jonas Valanciunas are among the players the Los Angeles Lakers could target with their full midlevel exception, sources tell Dave McMenamin of ESPN.

James is willing to take less than his three-year, $162 million max contract if the Lakers are able to secure a commitment from an impact players at the full $12.9 million mid-level.

"He is prioritizing a roster improvement," Rich Paul told ESPN on Saturday. "He's been adamant about exuding all efforts to improve the roster."

According to Jovan Buha of The Athletic, James would likely need to sign for $33 million in order to fit in the $12.9 million non-taxpayer midlevel exception on the Lakers' books. James will seek the max if they are unable to reach agreement on the MLE with an impact player.