LeBron James and his agent, Rich Paul, continue to play coy about his future, and it should frustrate Los Angeles Lakers fans.
Coming off a disappointing end to their season, the Los Angeles Lakers are going to enter the offseason with the hope of upgrading their roster in a way that could result in the team reemerging as a championship contender next season. However, that could be easier said than done, especially if Rich Paul continues to play coy about LeBron James' future with the team.
Paul, LeBron's agent, recently said in an interview that he has "no idea" if LeBron is going to return for another season. In fairness to Paul, he's probably respecting LeBron's decision-making process. However, the continued "will he or won't he" game that LeBron and his camp constantly play after every season is not something that is going benefit the Lakers.
LeBron James playing this waffling game is getting old
If anything, what the Lakers need most heading into the NBA offseason is more clarity than less of it. At least for now, the Lakers don't have a ton of that. There's a mystery surrounding whether Luka Doncic is going to sign a long-term contract extension with the Lakers this offseason. Add that to the questions surrounding LeBron's future, and you can easily see why the Lakers are operating, at least for now, with one hand tied behind their back.
It's hard to be especially aggressive when there's at least some mystery revolving around the two big faces of the franchise. Logically, both LeBron and Luka will probably be back with the Lakers. LeBron's future is very much a concern, but it would be shocking if he didn't at least play one more season in the NBA. Luka has one year left on his contract, but the overwhelming belief is that he's going to sign some sort of extension with the Lakers.
But this waffling game that has become an offseason tradition for LeBron has to be frustrating for Lakers fans. At some point, it'll be time to take LeBron seriously when it's reported that his future is still up in the air. But, at least at this point, I'm not sure anyone actually believes that there's even a remote chance that LeBron is going to retire or play for another team.
LeBron and his camp are only hurting the Lakers by keeping them in the dark regarding his future. It's time they realize that.