Everyone knows the scoop by now.
LeBron James is entering his final season under contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. He turns 41 in December. And his future has as much uncertainty as it has had in a while.
Will he retire after the season? Will he go to a new team? Will he be traded sooner? Or will he somehow return to the Lakers?
Lakers front office leader Rob Pelinka shared his thoughts with ESPN’s Dave McMenamin on Saturday:
“If he had a chance to retire a Laker, that would be great.”
It’s not clear exactly what Pelinka is hoping for here.
He could be alluding to this being the final season for LeBron. He could also be suggesting that the Lakers would gladly re-sign him to a new contract after the season.
Clearly, Pelinka wasn’t going to say anything too controversial to a reporter here. James is still a Laker. They’ve got to keep him happy as long as they have him.
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Even at his age, James is an All-NBA player. The Lakers need him teaming up with Luka Doncic to have a chance at winning a championship.
James has seemed annoyed at times this offseason that Doncic appears to have been handed the keys in the decision-making process, which makes LeBron second fiddle for really the first time ever in his NBA career.
But this is also a guy who loves to win and loves to play with other great players.
With Doncic and Austin Reaves alongside him in L.A., LeBron has a strong group of teammates. And because of that, the Lakers have a strong chance to win.
James wouldn’t leave for just anything. He’d need the right fit elsewhere. It sounds like if he doesn’t find it, Pelinka will be happy to keep him around.
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