Year 21 has been better than expected for Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James as he looks healthy and is proving to the NBA that he can play at a high level no matter how old he gets.
James remains a physical marvel who can still barrel through his younger contemporaries and finish strong at the rim, but his impressive basketball IQ also allows him to read the floor in an instant and make the right play. Watching James play this well this late into his career is a treat and is largely why his agent Rich Paul isn’t thinking about his eventual retirement.
However, James’ future with the Lakers is an open question as he has a player option for the 2024-25 season. He has yet to indicate which direction he’s leaning in, which means the Lakers will have to wait and see what he wants to do for next year and beyond.
Despite the team’s struggles this season, Brian Windhorst believes that he wants to stay in L.A. for the foreseeable future, via ESPN’s First Take:
“I don’t think this is LeBron’s last stand,” Windhorst said. “I don’t think this is the Lakers’ last stand. First off, I think LeBron is angling to sign a multiyear deal in the offseason with the Lakers that will be nine figures. That will be even bigger than the deal he is on now. Now, whether or not he’s able to finish that deal, whether or not the Lakers want to give him a three-year contract and pay him $60 million when he’s 42 years old, that’s a different discussion.”
Giving any player that sort of guaranteed money is a risk, but James is worth it and then some given his popularity and skill on the floor. Although a three-year deal would take James into his age-42 season, he hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down.
Even if LeBron can’t run and jump like he used to, his playmaking ability will be just fine. Los Angeles should do everything it can to convince James to stay because there’s no way of replacing him.
LeBron James believes Victor Wembanyama has no ceiling
If James were to sign a multiyear deal, he would remain the face of the league. However, once he does eventually retire it looks like he has a worthy successor in San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama.
After the two met in a recent game, James said that thinks Wembanyama has no ceiling, giving high praise to the French phenom.
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