LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated from the NBA playoffs on Monday night. Amid NBA rumors regarding Darvin Ham’s future and potential Lakers coaching candidates, there is also uncertainty regarding whether or not LeBron will return for the 2024-’25 NBA season.
Coming off his age-39 season, James holds a $51.415 million player option for next season. He’s not expected to decide on it anytime soon, leaving Los Angeles hanging in the balance on whether or not it will still have its superstar.
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Following Monday’s Game 5 loss to the Denver Nuggets, James was asked about his future in the NBA and an upcoming decision on both returning for a 22nd season and his future with the Lakers.
“I don’t have an answer … to be honest. I haven’t given it much thought.”
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James on his upcoming decision to play a 22nd season (H/T ESPN)
James, the all-time leading scorer in NBA history, still played at an All-Star level during the regular season and he was the team’s best player in the series against Denver. Despite consecutive playoff exits, Los Angeles wants to do everything in its power to keep James.
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According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Lakers are ‘very open to the prospect of’ potentially drafting Bronny James in the 2024 NBA Draft to help LeBron’s dream of playing on the same team as his son come to fruition.
The Lakers reportedly ‘badly’ want James to return next year and there is a widely held belief that it is the ‘most likely scenario’ this summer. According to Charania, Lakers’ owner Jeanie Buss believes James’ return is of ‘paramount importance’ for the franchise.
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The Lakers could certainly make the Bronny and LeBron James pairing work, taking the USC Trojans guard in the second round of the NBA Draft. However, it will be even more critical for Los Angeles to construct a better team around James for next season and a coaching change will likely also be necessary.
While all of those actions, including the possibility of trading away future first-round picks to help win now, might hurt the Lakers’ franchise in the long run it’s clear the organization is dedicated to doing whatever it takes to keep James.