The Los Angeles Lakers got swept out of the second round of the playoffs on Monday by the Oklahoma City Thunder in a 115-110 defeat, and now a long and consequential offseason will begin for them. That offseason could see them lose a number of key players in free agency, including LeBron James.
James, who is 41 years of age, decided to exercise the player option on his contract last summer, and since then, people have endlessly speculated whether this season would be his final one with the Lakers. There is also the possibility that he retires this offseason, but many feel that is an unlikely outcome at this point, especially given how well he played in his 23rd NBA season.
After L.A.’s Game 4 defeat, James, as expected, was noncommittal about his future.
“With my future, I don’t know,” he said. “Obviously, we’re still fresh from losing. I don’t know what the future holds for me as it stands right now tonight,” James said. “I think I said it last year after we lost to Minnesota, I’ve got to go back and recalibrate with my family, talk with them, spend some time with them, and when the time comes, you guys will know what I decide to do.”
For the last three years or so, people have wondered at the end of each season whether James will stay with Los Angeles or even retire. This time, it feels a bit different, not only because his contract will expire, but also because of where he is in his career and his decision not to opt out and sign a short-term contract extension last offseason.
The Lakers should be able to offer him more money, perhaps much more money, than any other team, and perhaps also offer him the best chance of winning his fifth NBA championship. But James also has other priorities besides winning, and as the past has shown, no one can ever be sure what he will end up doing.
It is believed that if he does leave the Lakers, he will likely return to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Golden State Warriors, who still have his good friends Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, have also been mentioned as a potential, albeit less likely, destination for James.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: LeBron James was noncommittal about his future after Game 4 loss
Reporting by Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire / LeBron Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
