James can become a free agent this offseason
LeBron James has now played six seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers. One more and he would match his first run with the Cleveland Cavaliers for his longest tenure with a single team. The choice to reach that milestone, thanks to a player-option in his contract, is entirely in his hands. At this moment, James is seemingly still on the fence about whether or not he would like to do so.
The Lakers were eliminated from the postseason by the Denver Nuggets on Monday, which naturally prompted questions about James’ future in Los Angeles. If he has made up his mind, he decided not to share a decision. When asked if there was any thought about whether or not this could be his last game as a Laker following Monday’s loss, James took a lengthy pause and declined to answer.
Was there any thought that tonight was your last game with the Lakers?
LeBron James: “I’m not going to answer that.” pic.twitter.com/tOySUdsmbI
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) April 30, 2024
James tends to keep his cards close to the chest when it comes to offseason plans. He has changed teams on three occasions, and he controlled the messaging involved in each of those moves. In 2010, he announced his move to the Miami Heat on a televised interview he titled “The Decision.” In 2014, he revealed that he planned to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a first-person letter published by Sports Illustrated. His 2018 move to the Lakers was announced in a press release by Klutch Sports, his agency.
He still has two months to make up his mind about that player option, and for now, he seemingly intends to use that time to evaluate the Lakers. According to Shams Charania, Sam Amick and Jovan Buha of The Athletic, “it’s anticipated James, ahead of his June 29 option date, will want to see how the Lakers manage the offseason and their approach to building the roster around him and Davis.”
The Lakers have three first-round picks to trade this summer. The bulk of their core is still under contract, though D’Angelo Russell can also walk thanks to a player-option on his end. Head coach Darvin Ham’s job is reportedly in jeopardy. There is room for significant change in Los Angeles this offseason. That change may even include a new home for James. For now, though, the team has two months to convince him that he should retire as a Laker.
