On Friday, ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported that LeBron James suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain in his left knee in the Los Angeles Lakers' Game 5 loss to the Timberwolves on Wednesday. If the Lakers had won Game 5 to extend the series, LeBron would've been unable to play in Game 6, and even longer than that, as he would've been out for a few weeks.
Los Angeles won only one of four games against Minnesota with LeBron in the lineup. The Lakers might've pulled off a Game 6 miracle by beating the Timberwolves with LeBron out, but expecting LA to win two straight games without one of its stars would've been a tough ask.
Had the Lakers extended their series with the Wolves for Game 6 tonight in Minnesota, they would be without James and James’ record streak of 292 straight playoff games without sitting out would have been snapped https://t.co/FvVOF2xgfi
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) May 2, 2025
There is no silver lining to the Lakers' season ending in the first round, especially not after they finished the season as the No. 3 seed in the West, following the Luka Doncic trade. Many believed Los Angeles could make it as far as the Western Conference Finals, but ultimately, the Lakers' flaws were too big to ignore.
LeBron James would've been sidelined if Lakers forced Game 6
Instead of pondering how LA could try to force a Game 7 with LeBron out, news outlets are talking about his future. He said he wasn't ready to discuss what was next, but on Thursday, Shams Charania reported that LeBron is expected to play for at least another season.
On Friday, The Athletic's Jovan Buha and Sam Amick reported that league and team sources close to James couldn't rule out the possibility of him finishing his career with a different team (subscription required). That was the case before the Lakers were on the brink of elimination.
Rob Pelinka said on Thursday that LA will do whatever it can to meet LeBron's roster expectations before next season. Pelinka has to think about LeBron and Luka now. The goal is to keep both happy while constructing a roster that puts the Lakers in the best position to win a title.
As unfortunate as it is that LA is out of the postseason, the Lakers wouldn't have been able to win anything with LeBron hurt. He'll have extra time to think about what he wants out of the rest of his NBA career as he recovers from the injury.