NBA's New Rules Make It Harder for Rich Teams to Sign LeBron

LeBron James, 41, is a free agent after eight years with the Lakers. New NBA rules now penalize teams that spend too much on payroll—think of it like a salary tax that gets steeper the more you exceed the limit. Any team wanting to sign him must budget not just his salary but future penalties too. This constraint didn't exist in 2010 or 2018, when he had more suitors.