5 people signed a big contract, James became the first NBA player! Ayton was bought out, and the Rockets gave the Lakers a difficult problem

The NBA is currently in the offseason. According to the labor agreement, today is the last day for players and teams to implement their options for the next season, and it is also the deadline for the team to offer qualification quotes to potential restricted free agents. At the same time, at 6 o'clock this morning, each team officially opened a negotiation window with free agents. In the past 24 hours, many important changes have occurred in the league. Here is a brief summary for you to help fans better understand the latest news in the NBA.

With the opening of the free market, more and more teams are beginning to actively operate, consolidating their lineup through large-scale investments. In the past 24 hours, the league has completed several eye-catching signing deals, including five players who have signed large contracts of tens of millions of dollars, namely Harden, Jabarry Smith Jr., Randall, Schroeder and Portis. According to a report by Shams, a famous NBA reporter, Harden rejected the last-year player option worth $36.35 million, and instead signed a two-year contract with the Clippers with a total value of $81.5 million. The second year is the player option and comes with partial guarantees. Meanwhile, Jabbarry Smith Jr. signed a five-year super contract with the Houston Rockets with a total value of $122 million, and the contract is fully guaranteed and has no team or player options. Randall reached a three-year contract renewal agreement with the Timberwolves with a total value of US$100 million, of which the last year is the player option. Portis chose to reject the player option worth $13.4 million in the last year and reached a new three-year contract with the Bucks with a total value of $44 million, which is also the player option for the last year. Schroeder signed a two-year contract with the Sacramento Kings, worth $30 million, and is expected to become the team's starting point guard.

According to Shams' latest report, LeBron James' agent Fu Paul revealed that James decided to execute his last year's player option for $52.6 million. Therefore, the 2025-26 season will become James' 23rd season, setting a historical record, and becoming the first player in NBA history to compete in his 23rd season. Before that, James had accumulated a total career salary of US$581 million, which will continue to break the NBA historical salary record he maintained. Paul Fu further revealed that James understands the Lakers' future layout, but he values ​​practical opportunities for championships more. The team also said that they hope to make the most favorable choice for James. I personally think that there may be some careful consideration behind James' choice, and perhaps he has seen the reality clearly: he no longer believes that the Lakers can become a real favorite to win the championship next season.

In addition, NBA reporter Shams also reported that the No. 1 pick Ayton was bought out by the Trail Blazers in 2018 and will become a full free agent in the future. It is understood that Ayton's remaining contract value is US$35.55 million. However, in the past season, Ayton played 55 games for the Trail Blazers, averaging 16.7 points, 11.1 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game, with a shooting percentage of up to 57%. Although Ayton's personality is sometimes criticized as weak, it has to be admitted that he is still a 26-year-old No. 1 pick, and the buyout decision remains shocking for many. In this regard, the Trail Blazers explained that Ayton was a flawed and good player. Because he was unable to trade him, he finally chose to buy out his goal to shift his focus to the training of the team's young center Yang Hansen. There is no doubt that the Trail Blazers' training of Yang Hansen has become the top priority. Regarding Ayton's future, multiple teams are expected to pursue this, with the Los Angeles Lakers being considered his most likely next home.

As for whether the Lakers can get what they want and get Ayton's service at a low price, we don't know. However, the Rockets also played a significant role in this competition. According to Shams, Finney Smith's decision to refuse to execute the last-year player option in his contract was a move that surprised many observers. In the middle of last season, the Lakers traded Russell, Lewis and three future first-round draft picks to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Finney Smith and Milton, which provided great help to the Lakers' forward line. If Finney Smith decides to return to the Lakers, he may sign a new three-year contract worth $56.4 million. But at the same time, NBA reporter Stein revealed that the Rockets plan to offer Finney Smith a four-year contract offer with an annual salary slightly lower than the full middle class ($14.1 million). If the Rockets issue such a "poison contract", it is still an unknown whether the Lakers can afford it. We might as well wait and see. Fans, what do you think about this? Welcome to share your views in the comment section and discuss them together.