At age 41, LeBron James has warded off Father Time with great effectiveness. His athleticism and bounce may be a fraction of what they once were during his peak years, but his impact on the court is still among the biggest in the NBA.
After willing a wounded and Luka Doncic-less Los Angeles Lakers team to a first round win over the Houston Rockets, you’d be forgiven if you thought you were watching a younger version of James.
While Houston was also dealing with injuries, the series win was a testament to James’ sustained talent. His innate ability to turn average teammates into valuable contributors was on full display.
But a second round sweep at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder makes the first-round win a distant memory. The NBA Finals favorites were without Jalen Williams and still handled the Lakers with ease.
This now brings up questions regarding James’ future as a Laker and professional basketball player. He has three distinct options to choose from next year, all with drastic ramifications for the rest of the league and his legacy.
Returning to the Lakers
It is remarkable to think that James has played in a Lakers uniform for eight years. Joining in 2018, he has seen both ups and downs. His tenure in Los Angeles has been the definition of “a mixed bag.”
Aside from the 2020 Finals win, James has seen limited success in the playoffs. His teams have only made it past the first round once in that time and have yet to return to the Finals.
This will likely not change if James returns to the Lakers next year. Despite being paired with Doncic, Los Angeles lacks the roster needed to compete with the juggernauts of the Western Conference like the Thunder (as demonstrated) or the San Antonio Spurs.
Those teams both have a wealth of depth that the Lakers lack. They have so much money tied up in James, Doncic, and Austin Reaves to where they have little else to build a competent roster around them. The era of the NBA superteam is over – depth is the name of the game.
Despite that, it is easy to see James returning to the Lakers next season for a few key reasons. The first being that Los Angeles has the cap space to offer James a massive contract. They have the ability to offer him north of $50 million, which many other teams would struggle to do if James sought to explore free agency.
The second is the location. It’s no secret that James has used his ties to Los Angeles to explore business ventures outside of basketball. This is something that would continue if he stayed with the Lakers.
And lastly, the personnel on the Lakers roster are likely equally as important to his decision. James has been outspoken on how much playing with his son, Bronny James, means to him. This is a clear allure to stay in Los Angeles for him.
Free Agency
It doesn’t take a genius to realize that James cares about his legacy as an NBA player. Since entering the league fresh out of high school, he’s drawn comparisons to Michael Jordan. He was heralded as “The Chosen One” and has attempted to live up to the moniker.
It’s not hard to imagine that this would be the reasoning for James to change teams this summer. It would afford him another chance at a Finals appearance and ring if he were to join a team already in contention.
The issue is that James would have to take a massive pay cut. Because of the second apron penalties as part of the most recent Collective Bargaining Agreement, most teams can’t afford to pay James the $50 million that he likely desires. This handicap could force James to accept a smaller salary if he wants to chase another title.
The sacrifices wouldn’t end there for James though. It’s conceivable to think that he would have to give up touches and minutes. Two of the teams that James is tied most closely to—the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers—are both still alive in the NBA playoffs and have established rotations in place.
Retirement
It’s remarkable to think that in his 23rd season James was able to make an All-Star game. Perhaps it would be even more remarkable if he walked away from sport all together after turning in another quality season.
James has continued to mull over whether to return to basketball next season according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. It certainly feels as if James has the talent to continue playing, and his body has yet to fail him. While James has incurred more injuries during his Lakers tenure, he has played at least 60 games in the last three seasons.
If James were to retire this offseason, it would be because he wanted to, not because his body forced him to.
