{"id":19051,"date":"2026-06-30T20:07:56","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T20:07:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19051"},"modified":"2026-06-30T20:07:56","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T20:07:56","slug":"lebron-james-rumors-persist-as-deandre-ayton-opts-in-with-lakers-marcus-smart-opts-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19051","title":{"rendered":"LeBron James rumors persist as Deandre Ayton opts in with Lakers, Marcus Smart opts out"},"content":{"rendered":"
Free agency revolves around LeBron James.<\/p>\n

Even at 41 years old with retirement still firmly on the table, James is at the front of the circus when league-wide negotiating officially opens Tuesday at 3 p.m. PT.<\/p>\n

Read more Angels support Mike Trout\u2019s All-Star candidacy with fashion statement<\/a><\/p>\n

Multiple reports emerged over the past 24 hours that the Golden State Warriors are attempting to bring James and Anthony Davis to play alongside Steph Curry and Draymond Green. The smoke turned up a notch on Monday when Green declined his $27.7 million player option, creating the salary cap space for Golden State to try and turn a possibility into stunning reality. James, Green and Davis (still under contract with the Washington Wizards) are all clients of Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul.<\/p>\n

Whether the Warriors will be willing to surrender the assets it would take (likely a package of injured All-Star Jimmy Butler and multiple first-round draft picks at least) to acquire Davis from Washington, then create more salary cap space after reportedly inking a two-year deal with center Kristaps Porzingis remains to be seen.<\/p>\n

But Monday brought internal developments for the Lakers, with several decisions attached to the option deadline from last season\u2019s starting lineup becoming official throughout the day.<\/p>\n

Marcus Smart declined his player option for $5.4 million, multiple league sources confirmed to the Southern California News Group, which puts the veteran defensive stalwart who set the tempo of last year\u2019s Lakers on the open market. The Stein Line, an independent NBA newsletter, first linked Smart to a potential multi-year deal with the Houston Rockets a few days ago \u2013 where Smart\u2019s former coach with the Boston Celtics, Ime Udoka, now serves as head coach.<\/p>\n

Much of the Lakers\u2019 late-season success, including their 16-2 run through March, fell partly on the shoulders of Smart\u2019s defensive intensity, which bled into the rest of the roster. After the 32-year-old guard helped the Lakers reach overtime in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series against the Rockets \u2013 forcing a late steal with 30 seconds left that allowed James to tie the score before ultimately winning the game \u2013 Lakers coach JJ Redick discussed what makes Smart a vital member of the team.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a winner,\u201d Redick said of Smart, who started 54 of 62 games played and averaged 9.3 points and 3.0 assists per game for the Lakers. \u201cHe makes winning plays.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Now, the Lakers must prepare for the possibility that Smart and his winning plays are not returning, along with the defensive game plan void that would create. Quentin Grimes, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard who played for the Philadelphia 76ers for the last season and a half, could be an option for the Lakers.<\/p>\n

Read more Ducks trade away rights to captain Radko Gudas<\/a><\/p>\n

There is familiarity for Grimes with the heart of the Lakers: the 26-year-old played alongside Luka Doncic on the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024-25 season before the Slovenian star was traded to the Lakers and Grimes was traded to Philadelphia. If the Lakers want to look for a player who is more defensive-minded, Cleveland Cavaliers forward Dean Wade could be an option, though the 6-9 role player isn\u2019t a one-for-one fit for Smart.<\/p>\n

Among the other options exercised, center Deandre Ayton opted into his $8.1 million salary for the 2026-27 season, ESPN was first to report \u2013 setting the stage for the Lakers\u2019 front office to have to decide how they want to approach the frontcourt in the weeks ahead.<\/p>\n

Ayton thoroughly outplayed the first-year value of his deal, playing in a career-high 72 games while contributing 12.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game on 67.1% shooting from the field. The 7-footer, who was the first overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, had a rollercoaster-like season as he adjusted to not being a leading option offensively. Ayton called the season \u201ca lot of sacrifices\u201d during his end-of-season media availability in May.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI felt like I\u2019ve grown in some areas where I never thought I was going to really grow up,\u201d Ayton said. \u201cJust accepting the challenge and the criticism, constructive criticism as well. And just being that guy the team wants me to be, no matter what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Lakers, who were projected to have between $45-51 million in cap space to work with as of Monday, are potentially the top team in the offseason searching to bolster the center position, leading to links to the likes of Utah Jazz restricted free agent Walker Kessler and Detroit Pistons restricted free agent Jalen Duren. Along with Denver Nuggets forward Peyton Watson, another restricted free agent, those three are arguably the most high-profile free agents on the market who are not already heavily rumored to return to their respective franchises.<\/p>\n

Among the Lakers who will become unrestricted free agents on Tuesday afternoon, swingman Luke Kennard and center Jaxson Hayes appear to be the most likely to return to Los Angeles as key bench players. If James doesn\u2019t return, the Lakers could comfortably afford to bring back forward Rui Hachimura as well \u2013 likely set to receive more than $20 million in annual average value for his next contract.<\/p>\n

Guard Nick Smith Jr., who the Lakers signed late in the season as their 15th playoff-eligible player, is also set to become an unrestricted free agent after the Lakers did not pick up his $2.5 million team option on Monday, a league source confirmed.<\/p>\n

Read more Dodgers batter A\u2019s with 17 hits, including homers by Ohtani, Muncy and Pages<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Golden State is reportedly trying to entice James to move north. Smart opts out of his $5.4 million salary for next season, while Ayton elects to return to the Lakers on an $8.1 million salary.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19050,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19051","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-based-on-facts-either-observed-and-verified-directly-by-the-reporter-or-reported-and-verified-from-knowledgeable-sources","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nLeBron James rumors persist as Deandre Ayton opts in with Lakers, Marcus Smart opts out - Silicon Valley Moving Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19051\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"LeBron James rumors persist as Deandre Ayton opts in with Lakers, Marcus Smart opts out - Silicon Valley Moving Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Golden State is reportedly trying to entice James to move north. Smart opts out of his $5.4 million salary for next season, while Ayton elects to return to the Lakers on an $8.1 million salary.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19051\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Silicon Valley Moving Post\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-30T20:07:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=19051#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=19051\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7\"},\"headline\":\"LeBron James rumors persist as Deandre Ayton opts in with Lakers, Marcus Smart opts out\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-30T20:07:56+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=19051\"},\"wordCount\":920,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=19051#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/02336f11ca714120e84f9d6e34e015a0.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.\",\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=19051#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=19051\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=19051\",\"name\":\"LeBron James rumors persist as Deandre Ayton opts in with Lakers, Marcus Smart opts out - Silicon Valley Moving Post\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=19051#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=19051#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/02336f11ca714120e84f9d6e34e015a0.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-30T20:07:56+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=19051#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=19051\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=19051#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/02336f11ca714120e84f9d6e34e015a0.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/02336f11ca714120e84f9d6e34e015a0.webp\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":682},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?p=19051#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"LeBron James rumors persist as Deandre Ayton opts in with Lakers, Marcus Smart opts out\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Silicon Valley Moving Post\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"LeBron James rumors persist as Deandre Ayton opts in with Lakers, Marcus Smart opts out - Silicon Valley Moving Post","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19051","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"LeBron James rumors persist as Deandre Ayton opts in with Lakers, Marcus Smart opts out - Silicon Valley Moving Post","og_description":"Golden State is reportedly trying to entice James to move north. Smart opts out of his $5.4 million salary for next season, while Ayton elects to return to the Lakers on an $8.1 million salary.","og_url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19051","og_site_name":"Silicon Valley Moving Post","article_published_time":"2026-06-30T20:07:56+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19051#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19051"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7"},"headline":"LeBron James rumors persist as Deandre Ayton opts in with Lakers, Marcus Smart opts out","datePublished":"2026-06-30T20:07:56+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19051"},"wordCount":920,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19051#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/02336f11ca714120e84f9d6e34e015a0.webp","articleSection":["Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.","News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19051#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19051","url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19051","name":"LeBron James rumors persist as Deandre Ayton opts in with Lakers, Marcus Smart opts out - Silicon Valley Moving Post","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19051#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19051#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/02336f11ca714120e84f9d6e34e015a0.webp","datePublished":"2026-06-30T20:07:56+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19051#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19051"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19051#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/02336f11ca714120e84f9d6e34e015a0.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/02336f11ca714120e84f9d6e34e015a0.webp","width":1024,"height":682},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19051#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"LeBron James rumors persist as Deandre Ayton opts in with Lakers, Marcus Smart opts out"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/","name":"Silicon Valley Moving Post","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/#\/schema\/person\/636e2e5a10a21cf87fe6eb5951e8a6b7","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com"],"url":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19051","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19051"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19051\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/19050"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19051"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19051"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19051"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}