NBA Rumors: There's no certainty that LeBron James will retire as a Los Angeles Laker, but his future plans with the team may have been leaked.
Even though LeBron James is still playing at an absurdly high level, he can't play forever. Unless it is revealed recently that LeBron is bionic, you'd have to imagine that the end of his career is eventually going to arrive. At 40 years old, LeBron probably just has a few years remaining in his career. The big question, especially after the Lakers' big move for Luka Doncic, is whether LeBron will finish out his career in Los Angeles.
Even though that may have been the plan before, there's no question that is still the case. And while that very much remains a mystery heading into the offseason, it does appear that his immediate future with the Lakers may have been leaked.
According to a report from Bleacher Report, the "current expectation" is for LeBron to play next season as a member of the Lakers. With a player option for next season, LeBron could opt-in and play out the remainder of his deal with the team. Or, as he's become accustomed to recently, he could always opt out and sign another 1+1 deal with a player option that gives him an out after the 2025-26 NBA season.
Either way, at least according to the recent reporting, LeBron is almost certainly going to be a Laker next season - unless, of course, something dramatically changes between now and the offseason.
LeBron James is keeping his future open
It's no surprise to see that LeBron plans on keeping his options open heading into the future - whether that's playing for a new team or flat-out retiring after next season. At 40 years old, that's not entirely a shocking revelation. However, after the Lakers had just drafted Bronny, his son, it would have been somewhat odd for LeBron to abandon ship at this point.
At the same time, I do imagine that much of LeBron's future plans will rely on how the Lakers look down the stretch and heading into next season. If the front office is able to build a strong supporting cast around LeBron and Luka, it wouldn't be that surprising to see him extend his career. Looking at the landscape across the league, I can't imagine LeBron will have a natural path toward winning a championship in the next few years that isn't with the Lakers - unless he's joining a team like the Boston Celtics, Oklahoma City Thunder, or Denver Nuggets.
I think it's safe to say that isn't happening. At this point, it's almost impossible to predict how LeBron's career is going to end. However, at least for now, it does appear as if LeBron's immediate future is with the Lakers.