LeBron James would be quick to say he’s not done playing this year — as of this writing he and the rest of the Lakers are in Denver for Game 5 against the Nuggets and are dreaming of a win that sends the series back to L.A.
However, already there is talk of what is next for LeBron as he heads into his age-40 season. Is he going to play a 22nd NBA season? His agent Rich Paul thinks so, speaking on SiriusXM NBA Radio with hosts Frank Isola and Brian Scalabrine.
"The guy has committed more than half of his life to the game of basketball"@KlutchSports Founder & CEO, Rich Paul, discussed LeBron’s future when he joined @TheFrankIsola and @Scalabrine 👀#NBAPlayoffs | @RichPaul4 pic.twitter.com/AZkLP1gGGf
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) April 29, 2024
“Yeah, you know, I believe so... I think we do see him next year. Now, how many more after that? I do not know. But I think he’s got maybe two or three years left in the tank, maybe.”
LeBron has a $51.4 million player option for next season, but the conventional wisdom is that he will turn that down and become a free agent, then very likely re-sign with the Lakers. Because of the over-38 rule, no team (Lakers included) can offer more than three seasons, with the Lakers offering a max of around $162 million ($54 million average). If LeBron wants to jump to another team, the most they could offer is around $157 million over three years ($52.3 million average).
Considering LeBron will eclipse $500,000 — half a billion — in career earnings in salary alone next season, taking a haircut of a few million to be somewhere he wants to be is not an insane thought. Philadelphia will have a max slot open after this season, for example. However, the sense is he is happy where he is and wants to be in Los Angeles, but by opting out he can leverage the organization to spend and go all-in to put a better product on the court next season than the one we saw this season. LeBron still wants to win.
Where does his son Bronny fit into this? Good question. It depends on if Bronny goes pro and then, if he does, what team drafts him (assuming one does). It’s LeBron’s dream to play with Bronny, but he’s also not heading to a struggling, rebuilding team just to be near his son. The Lakers could scoop Bronny up in the second round, or another team might (picturing him as a two-way player right now), but it’s not automatic that LeBron will follow him. Paul — who is Bronny’s agent as well — is trying to get Bronny to the best spot if he stays in the draft.
What seems certain is LeBron will be back next season, probably in purple and gold. However, NBA offseasons have a way of surprising us, and LeBron is certainly worth watching.
