When & Why LeBron Decided to Leave Lakers and Pay Cut Contract Talks Uncovered in New NBA Rumors

After star forward LeBron James opted to part ways with the Los Angeles Lakers and test free agency, new details have emerged about what led to his departure.

ESPN's Ramona Shelburne spoke to James' agent, Rich Paul, and revealed what went down behind the scenes between the 41-year-old and the Lakers.

"For a week, neither James' camp nor the Lakers had exchanged formal or even informal offers, according to sources on both sides of the situation. Nor had they discussed a vision for a future together, or even met face-to-face -- in person or virtually," Shelburne reported. "The Lakers called Paul a week before free agency, when teams could approach their own free agents, to try to arrange a videoconference with James and were told he wasn't available. Paul didn't say why at the time, but he told ESPN it was because James had already decided he didn't want to return to the Lakers and that there was no need for a call."

Shelburne added that James wasn't interested in taking a pay cut to remain with the Lakers.

"Even if they offered $10 million to $15 million more than any other team, James could still see their offer as a pay cut if another team was offering the most it was allowed to offer him, one team source explained," Shelburne stated. "It was the curse of incumbency."

James spent the past eight seasons with the Lakers, but it sounds like his relationship with the franchise had frayed by the time he decided to continue his NBA career elsewhere.

"By the time Los Angeles called a week before free agency, Paul said James was already 'a thousand percent' certain he was ready to move on from the Lakers," Shelburne stated. "That, Paul knew, was a significant shift from just a few weeks prior, when James told Paul he was '80 percent' sure he'd play another season with the Lakers."

Paul told Shelburne that he "didn't press James for the reasons his thinking shifted over the course of the month, but he has some guesses." If the Lakers offered him a pay cut, it could have been taken as "a sign of disrespect." The team struggled with how to approach the future Hall of Famer, and its hesitance led to his decision to move on.

"For weeks they held internal discussions on the matter. Still, despite their deliberations, James saw through it," Shelburne wrote. "Like he has so often done on the court, he read the play before it happened. He broke up with the Lakers before they could break up with him."

According to Shelburne, "After the season, sources close to James said the most important factor in him re-signing would be how the Lakers approached him. He might have been willing to take a pay cut from the $52.6 million he'd made the season before, sources said, if the Lakers explained how they planned to reallocate the money." The explanation never came, and James' mind was already made up before Los Angeles reached out to him.

"By the time Los Angeles called a week before free agency, Paul said James was already 'a thousand percent' certain he was ready to move on from the Lakers," Shelburne stated. "That, Paul knew, was a significant shift from just a few weeks prior, when James told Paul he was '80 percent' sure he'd play another season with the Lakers."

Paul told Shelburne that he "didn't press James for the reasons his thinking shifted over the course of the month, but he has some guesses." If the Lakers offered him a pay cut, it could have been taken as "a sign of disrespect." The team struggled with how to approach the future Hall of Famer, and its hesitance led to his decision to move on.

"For weeks they held internal discussions on the matter. Still, despite their deliberations, James saw through it," Shelburne wrote. "Like he has so often done on the court, he read the play before it happened. He broke up with the Lakers before they could break up with him."