LeBron James has accumulated more than half a billion in career earnings, and competing in record season No. 24 was meant to be about another ring. The four-time NBA champion’s camp had come out to say that money wasn’t a factor, as well as his intentions to remain in Los Angeles. However, all that changed when he decided to opt into free agency and call an end to his time with the Lakers.

Rich Paul on the Game Over podcast on Wednesday detailed the timeline of the decision when he spoke to Max Kellerman.

“And I said, okay … where are you at in terms of returning right here … and he said, 80%,” Paul said to Kellerman on how close James was to wearing the purple and gold color for year 24. “And then as the time went on, he’s thought about things more, it kind of went down and down and down. 50%, 30%.”

“And once he got to a place to where he said, ‘listen, man, I understand where things are and I get it,” Rich Paul continued when asked about why his assurances kept going down. “I know that’s where I could probably make the most money. But for me, where I’m at today, it’s probably not the best thing for me to do. I probably would just go away from that’. And I said, are you 100% sure? And he said, yes, I’m 100% sure that that’s not a place I would want to return.”

Multiple reports indicated that LeBron James initially preferred to stay with the Lakers before the relationship deteriorated in the days leading up to free agency. ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported that entering the offseason, his expectation was to continue with the Lakers if the organization showed it remained committed to competing for championships. Instead, communication between the two sides slowed considerably, and the Lakers had not extended a contract offer in the days before free agency opened.

A source familiar with his thinking told Dave McMenamin that LeBron took time to “decompress and undergo some self-assessment.” Furthermore, after that process, the source added that he concluded he still wanted to play “meaningful, competitive basketball.”

Rob Pelinka met with Luka Doncic about the franchise’s future; the discussion centered almost entirely around building the team around Luka. According to reports, LeBron was not a major part of those discussions.

LeBron and Lakers Didn’t See “Eye-to-Eye” – Insider Says

ESPN’s Shams Charania on SportsCenter on Wednesday gave the latest report on the situation between LeBron James and the Lakers.

“LeBron James and the Lakers didn’t see eye-to-eye on what it meant to compete for a championship, essentially to try to compete at the highest of levels.”

Rich Paul stated earlier that LeBron had no interest in spending the final stage of his career on a rebuilding team and remained focused on competing for another championship. “LeBron wants to compete for a championship. He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all.” Making his Tuesday decision one that was made after weeks of deliberations between him and his team.

According to multiple reports, several contenders are expected to pursue James. The Golden State Warriors continue to be viewed as one of the strongest possibilities, with the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers as the other possible destinations.