Over the past few months, speculation has been rife about LeBron James‘ NBA future. The 39-year-old superstar is expected to become a free agent in the offseason and potentially leave the Los Angeles Lakers after six seasons with the franchise. If James is leaning towards an exit from LA, this season would be his proverbial last dance with the team.
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However, NBA insider Brian Windhorst has poured cold water over those suggestions. On Thursday’s episode of First Take, he said,
“I don’t think this is LeBron’s last stand. I don’t this is the Lakers’ last stand. First off, I think LeBron is angling to sign a multi-year deal in the offseason with the Lakers that would be nine figures. That would be even bigger than the deal he’s on right now.
At the same time, Windhorst was sceptical about whether the Lakers’ would want to give James a 3-year contract.
“Now whether or not he’s able to finish that deal, whether or not the Lakers want to give him a three-year contract and pay him $60 million when he’s 42 years old that’s a different discussion.”
“I don’t think this is LeBron’s last stand!”@WindhorstESPN disagrees with @stephenasmith pic.twitter.com/TjOKBH18GA
— First Take (@FirstTake) February 22, 2024
James is in the first year of the two-year, $99 million extension he signed with the team in August 2022. He has a player option for the 2024-25 season, and per Windhorst, he’ll opt out and sign a three-year extension with the franchise, which could potentially pay him $180 million.
The veteran forward is playing at an All-NBA level, but the Lakers are ninth in the Western Conference standings. However, they were in a similar position last year and reached the Western Conference Finals. The team has enough talent to make a deep run in the playoffs.
The possibilities are endless, but James walking away from the NBA in the offseason isn’t one of them.
LeBron James opens up about retirement plans
Despite his incredible numbers this season, LeBron James’ age always prompts questions about retirement. The 39-year-old is in his 21st NBA season and admitted that he pondered retirement but is unsure about the timeline. During the All-Star weekend, he said,
“I am a Laker, and I’m happy and have been very happy being a Laker the last six years, and hopefully, it stays that way. But I don’t have the answer to how long it is or which uniform I’ll be in. Hopefully [it] is with the Lakers.”
James also claimed he is unsure if he’ll embark on a farewell tour like Kobe Bryant did in his final season in 2015-16 or if he’ll retire out of the blue like San Antonio Spurs legend Tim Duncan. He said he was “50-50” on either possibility.
James has a long-standing desire to share the court with his son Bronny James, who’ll become draft-eligible this summer. It’s unclear whether the USC guard will declare for the 2024 NBA Draft or spend another year playing for the USC Trojans. James’ future is linked to his son’s, and only time will tell whether they’ll play together next season or if the veteran forward will have to wait another year.
