As if the Los Angeles Lakers didn’t ruin fans’ moods well enough after getting swept by the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals, LeBron James threw the entire basketball world into a state of complete disarray based on some comments made in the aftermath of his loss to Nikola Jokic.
James said that he is unsure if he will return for what would be his 21st season in the NBA, saying that he has to consider a number of factors in the offseason. James is still scoring just under 29 points a game and dragged a No. 7 seed to the WCF, so he still has gas left in the tank.
If James is thinking about retiring, no one would fault him. However, there may be an ulterior motive at play here. He might be sending a message to this front office, telling them to target one player that can prevent retirement.
That one player in particular? Kyrie Irving seems to check a ton of boxes.
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
Los Angeles Lakers: Is LeBron James considering retirement?
The only thing James has left to play for is paychecks, and even that may not have as much merit now that he has officially crossed over into the billionaire realm. If he does want to play, however, he wouldn’t want to do it on a team looking to rebuild and angle themselves toward the future.
Irving is, to put it mildly, is an unusual character who will attract a ton of attention and bring with him a unique set of challenges. However, playing with James was the only time in his career where Irving kept his name out of the press and contributed to winning basketball.
The Lakers may not have a very full cupboard of assets to trade away, as their deadline deals for D’Angelo Russell and others tapped them out. That doesn’t mean James is accepting of this fate. He seems to be telling Rob Pelinka that he needs to get his ducks in a row relatively soon.
James has won everything there is to win in this league, but the idea of one last payday that could potentially be parlayed into a farewell season alongside his son Bronny might be too good of an opportunity to pass up. Pelinka just needs to add a player like Irving to keep him happy.
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