In the previously concluded NBA playoffs, the Lakers were once again killed by the Nuggets, and in the end they lost to their opponents 106-108, and were eliminated by their opponents 1-4. A 47-35 record in the regular season and a seventh-place finish in the West through the play-in tournament is not satisfactory for a team with James and Davis. And being eliminated 1:4 in the playoffs also proves that the Lakers have indeed failed this season.
After the elimination, Shams also said that a person familiar with James' thoughts said that after finishing his 21st NBA season, James is expected to play in the NBA for another two seasons. He currently has a $51.4 million player option for the 2024-2025 season, and what decisions he will make next offseason are also of more interest to fans.
And Brian Windhorst of the Athletic said on his own show that he thinks James will jump out of contract and become a free agent for the first time since 2018. There are three main reasons, the first is to see what the Lakers do in the draft, and the second is that Bronny is in the NBA draft, and he wants to be on the same team as Bronny. Finally, he has the potential to get a multi-year contract and doesn't have a trade veto in his contract.
So at the moment, it is not 100% for James to stay with the Lakers, after all, he has previously said that he wants to be on the same team as his son Bronny. The Lakers have been in poor form this season, and he has a reason to leave the team. So let's see what decision James will make in the next offseason, and no matter what the outcome is, fans may be looking forward to it.