On April 30, Beijing time, James' agent Rich Paul talked about the future of the Lakers superstar on the show, and he confirmed that James will definitely play next season, possibly for two to three years. The Athletic Wenhorst said James would jump out of contract but not leave the Lakers.
I'm definitely going to play next season, and I'm expected to play for two or three years
James talked about retirement after being swept in the Western Conference finals last year, but he doesn't expect to make similar remarks this season. Agent Rich Paul spoke about James' future, saying, "I'm sure he'll [play next season]. yes, I think we're going to see him, I don't know how much longer we're going to see him play basketball. But my conversation with him was to let him enjoy playing, 'Enjoy it, because you have a lot less years left to play than you have already played.' Enjoy the trip, it's already a wonderful trip. ’”
"I think when the dust settles, there will probably be a lot of people who will give 1,000 stories about what he means to the sport. Someone may hate these or they may like them, but it's all part of being a competitor. He's had an incredible career and I think we'll see him next season for sure, but I don't know how many years after that. I think he probably has two or three years to spare. ”
James' son, Bronny, will be in the draft this year, and we expect to see James' father and son on the same stage in the 2023-24 season, regardless of whether the two play for the same team or not.
Will jump out of contract, but won't leave the Lakers
Wenhorst, a famous journalist who has reported on James for many years, also talked about James' future. "I don't think he's going to retire, I do think he's going to play at least one more season. ”
"James' contract has a player option and I don't think he's going to leave (the Lakers) and he's not going to play anywhere else but Los Angeles for a number of reasons. Whatever you think of this Lakers and James. The Lakers need James, and one day they'll have another star because they always have stars, but at the moment James is the Lakers' star player. He's not the Lakers' best player, the best player is Anthony Davis, but he's still the Lakers' star player. I think they will continue to work together. ”
Wenhorst also said that James should jump out of contract. "Two reasons: First, his son participated in the draft. Whether the draft is on June 27 or 28 and free agency will open on July 1, it may be beneficial for James to remain open as a free agent during the draft. ”
"Second, James doesn't have a trade veto in his contract. If he executes the contract option, he can't get the right to veto the deal. There were trade discussions between the Warriors and Lakers about him before this year's trade deadline. I don't think the Lakers would ever trade him, and certainly not if he didn't agree, but why not get it when you can get a trade veto? ”