LOS ANGELES — The GOAT will take time to decide his future with the Los Angeles Lakers after they were eliminated Wednesday night in the first round of the NBA playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“I don’t know, I don’t have the answers to that,” LeBron James told reporters after the Lakers dropped Game 5 103-96. “I’ll sit down with my family and my wife and my support group and we’ll kind of talk through it and see what happens. And just have a conversation with myself on how long I want to continue to play. I don’t have an answer to that right now. We’ll see.’’
The four-time NBA champion, Finals MVP and NBA MVP, 40, has won titles with the Miami Heat (2012, 2013), the Cleveland Cavaliers (2016) and the Lakers (2020, during the lockout season). In 2023, he became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, surpassing former Laker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
This season, he passed Abdul-Jabbar again by scoring the most points by a 40-year-old in a postseason game with 38 in Game 3 of this series. He also was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic team.
Laker Land offered several improvedments for James this season as he enjoyed time with his son Bronny, whom the Lakers drafted over the summer, becoming the first father-son duo to play together in an NBA game. He also welcomed new coach JJ Redick and teamed with Luka Doncic, a shocking addition at the trade deadline, on some eye-popping plays.
What is LeBron James’ contract status?
James is in the first year of a two-year, $101.3 million contract with the Lakers, and he can become a free agent after this season or play out the second year of the deal at $52.6 million and hit free agency after the 2025-26 season. If James returns, it’s likely he becomes a free agent this summer and signs another short-term deal with the Lakers.
As part of the deal James signed with the Lakers in July, he secured a no-trade clause, and the contract includes a 15% trade kicker, meaning he would get a 15% bonus paid by the Lakers if traded.
What is a no-trade clause?
A no-trade clause means the player must approve any trade, which gives the player control of his situation. A no-trade clause is uncommon – James and Phoenix’s Bradley Beal are the only players with such a clause in their contract.
How does a player get a no-trade clause?
According to the collective bargaining agreement between the NBA and National Basketball Players Association (players’ union), “A Player Contract entered into by a player who has eight (8) or more Years of Service in the NBA and who has rendered four (4) or more Years of Service for the Team entering into such Contract may contain a prohibition or limitation of such Team’s right to trade such Contract to another NBA Team.”
Is it possible the Lakers trade LeBron James?
If you adhere to the maxim that no player/contract is untradeable, then yes, it’s possible James is traded. But it would have to be the most perfect situation.
It’s fun to speculate about James joining Steve Kerr and Steph Curry with Golden State since they had so much success together at the 2024 Paris Olympics. But that’s a difficult trade to make, given James’ salary.
Regardless, there’s no indication James wants to leave the Lakers. At the 2024 All-Star Game in Indianapolis, USA TODAY Sports’ Jeff Zillgitt asked James if he planned to finish his career with the Lakers.
“I am a Laker, and I am happy and been very happy being a Laker the last six years, and hopefully it stays that way,” James said. “But I don’t have the answer to how long it is or which uniform I’ll be in. Hopefully, it is with the Lakers. It’s a great organization and so many greats. But we’ll see. I don’t know how it’s going to end, but it’s coming. It’s coming, for sure.”
Since then, if anything has changed in Lakers Land for James, it’s been for the better. The Lakers hired James’ podcast buddy, JJ Redick, as head coach, and the franchise drafted his son, Bronny, with the No. 55 pick in the second round of the 2024 draft. In fact, they became the first father-son duo to play together when they took the court in the Lakers’ home opener.
James and his family also like L.A.
What’s the most games LeBron James has missed in a season?
James has been reliable throughout his career, proving another maxim: one of the best abilities is availability. You don’t get to 40,000 points, 11,00 assists, 11,000 rebounds and 20 All-NBA selections by missing too many games.
The most games James has missed in a season is 27 – in 2022-23, 2020-21 and 2018-19. He also missed 26 games in 2021-22. Other than that, he has not missed more than 20 games in a season.
What about retirement for LeBron James?
It’s difficult – but not impossible – to envision James retiring in-season. Retiring now or soon leaves a lot of money on the table, and unless there’s just no other option, players (and most others when given the choice) just don’t walk away from millions of dollars.
Follow NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt on social media @JeffZillgitt
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LeBron James playing wait-and-see on his NBA future
