The Los Angeles Lakers' season ended with a 108-106 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Monday, and attention naturally turned to LeBron James' future as he has a player option for the 2024-25 season.
But the king is not ready to make a decision.
As James said on Tuesday, he's not sure what the future holds and instead is interested in spending time with his family and friends after the season:
James was asked about his future after the Game 5 loss to the Nuggets and He told reporters“I don't have an answer…to be honest. I haven't thought about it much.”
He also said “I'm not going to answer that” when asked if this was his final season with the Lakers.
There are a lot of options in play for James.
For example, he could simply exercise the option and return to the purple and gold in hopes of improving on this season's first-round exit. Or he could opt to turn it down and head to free agency, where he could then either sign with another contender or even join a team that drafts his son, Bronny James.
However, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Tuesday that conversations with agent Rich Paul indicated that “the idea of playing together is not a priority; it's not primarily, at least anymore, on LeBron James' mind.”
As for the Lakers' point of view, The Athletic Shams Charania, Jovan Buha and Sam Amick They reported that they wanted him back “badly” and would be open to a three-year extension worth a maximum of $164 million.
There's also the fact that the future Hall of Famer will turn 40 in December and just finished his 21st season.
Maybe retirement would be an option, though, Paul Back on SiriusXM NBA Radio and said he believes James has “two to three years” left in his career.
And who can argue with the legend continuing to play considering he was still among the best players in the league this season averaging 25.7 points, 8.3 assists, 7.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 54 percent from the field and 41… percent of depth in 2023-24.
He was still the best player on the floor for long stretches during Monday's game against the Nuggets and came up short because Jamal Murray — who also won Game 2 with a buzzer-beater — hit a game-winning jumper in the final seconds.
It remains to be seen if James will get things back with the Lakers next season, but he could get a third chance in Denver in the postseason if he does.
