Despite a valiant effort from LeBron James, the Lakers were swept in four games by the Nuggets in the Western Conference finals.
Perhaps he was feeling reflective after a tough loss coming on the same day that his longtime friend Carmelo Anthony announced his retirement from the league. But after the game, LeBron shared some quotes with the media that suggested he was uncertain about his future in Los Angeles.
LeBron has several options and decisions to make this offseason, including potentially retiring from the game of basketball. Already the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and a four-time NBA Finals MVP, there is no doubt that he has accomplished enough on the basketball court to feel satisfied.
BREAKING: Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is unsure if he’ll be with team when 2023-24 season starts in fall and retirement is under consideration, league sources tell @NBAonTNT, @BleacherReport. https://t.co/7M3WuEzwOL
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) May 23, 2023
Still, retirement feels very unlikely considering how often he has said he wants to eventually play in the NBA alongside his son, Bronny James.
However, just because he wants to play on the same team as his son does not mean we will see LeBron back on the court when the new season begins next fall.
Bronny is committed to playing his freshman season of college basketball at USC next season. He is a potential one-and-done prospect and may turn pro after just one collegiate season. The incoming freshman is a projected top-10 pick in ESPN’s latest 2024 NBA Mock Draft.
So that means LeBron may only have to wait one season to fulfill his goal of playing alongside his son in the NBA. Meanwhile, because he has a player option for 2024-25, his contract aligns perfectly so that he could potentially sign with whatever team drafts Bronny.
If he retires while still under contract, which he is for next season, the Lakers would still retain his Bird Rights indefinitely until they formally renounced it (via CBAFAQ.com):
“The only exception to this is when a player is still under contract, wants to quit, and his team doesn’t want to let him out of his contract. Under these circumstances the player can file for retirement with the league. The player is placed on the league’s Voluntarily Retired list (see question number 79), forgoes his remaining salary, and cannot return to the league for one year. The latter requirement prevents players from using retirement as an underhanded way to change teams, and can be overridden with unanimous approval from all 30 teams.”
It would not make sense to retire and forego the massive salary he is owed next season when it would also limit his ability to sign with wherever Bronny is drafted.
But there are other options that don’t involve him playing any games next season. For example, despite suffering what was effectively a career-ending injury, Steve Nash didn’t retire until his contract elapsed.
LeBron not retiring but him contemplating it isn’t a shock to me, and is probably somewhat real. Foot is gonna need surgery, and you’re looking at ANOTHER offseason of working out to grind another six month season in hopes of another deep playoff run. He turns 39 this year..
— 500 🏎 (@Kameron_Hay) May 23, 2023
Remember: Earlier this season, LeBron was sidelined indefinitely with a foot injury he suffered during a pivotal win against the Mavericks.
LeBron was told by multiple doctors that he needed surgery to repair the torn tendon in his foot.
Although he played through the pain and he returned from injury earlier than expected, LeBron also revealed that he could still require an operation during the offseason.
Here’s something to think about: if LeBron wanted to get an overdue surgery that would keep him out for a good chunk of next season, he could. https://t.co/1KlYozlzzg
— Christian Rivas (@RadRivas) May 23, 2023
What if LeBron elects to have an operation and then uses most of next year to recover from that surgery and whatever other nagging injuries are ailing the 38-year-old superstar?
LeBron also had a lingering groin injury early in the season and he has nearly logged the most minutes of any player in league history.
When including all of the time he also spent playing in the Olympics for Team USA during the offseasons, it adds up to a tremendous amount of wear and tear.
"I think [LeBron playing with Bronny] is going to trump everything."
👀 @WindhorstESPN pic.twitter.com/D5RB5aVuIw
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) May 23, 2023
LeBron has softened his stance about playing alongside Bronny recently.
But ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and FS1’s Shannon Sharpe both believe that LeBron is too close to realizing his dream of playing alongside Bronny to step away for good. The Athletic’s Sam Amick also downplayed retirement as a possibility.
If his ultimate goal is to play alongside Bronny, even though it’s not great news for the Lakers, perhaps next year is mostly spent gearing up for that campaign.
Is he really going to walk away while he still feels he is better than 90 percent or 95 percent of the league? However, while he might not retire, we might not see LeBron play any time soon.
