The Los Angeles Lakers ended its 2023/34 season last night with a disappointing loss to the Denver Nuggets. The Lakers blew leads in all 4 games and the only real bright spots for the Lakers were LeBron James and Anthony Davis. LeBron turns 40 in December and he arguably had one of the best seasons of his career. He finished the season averaging 25.7 points per game, 7.3 rebounds per game and 8.3 assists per game. LeBron will likely be named to an all NBA team which is the best 15 players in the league. Let that sink in...LeBron James at 39 years old is still one of the greatest players on the planet.
The sure fire first ballot hall-of-famer has some pretty big decisions this off-season. James has until June 29 to either opt into the final year of his contract with the Lakers for $51.4 million or become an unrestricted free agent. When asked about his future LeBron dismissed the question. He said he'd sit down with his agent and family at some point to discuss his plans.
Does his son Bronny play into his decision making? LeBron said it was his dream to play with his son but has since walked that back a bit. Bronny finished his first year at USC after a very serious medical scare that hindered his freshman year. Bronny entered the transfer portal but will also test the NBA waters and see where he might fit into the draft. It's projected the Lakers could hold the 17th and 55th pick of the 2024 NBA draft. It's unlikely the Lakers would use the 17th pick on Bronny but maybe the 55th pick.
While it's fun to think about LeBron and his son playing together, there are real question marks about the Lakers roster. Of course AD and LeBron provide a potent 1-2 punch but beyond that...there's not much else. Inconsistency was the theme of the Lakers this season. D'Angelo Russell...inconsistent. Rui Hachimura...inconsistent. Austin Reaves...Inconsistent. Lack of depth especially at the center position hurt the Lakers all season. If LeBron returns what moves are available to help this roster. There's chatter the Lakers are interested in guys like Donovan Mitchell and Trae Young. To get those guys how much do you have to deplete the roster? Could this be a Phoenix Suns situation where you have 3 stars and nobody else? The Suns just got swept out of the playoffs.
We should all buckle up and be on LeBron watch for the next few months. LeBron will shift focus to the Olympics but his NBA landing spot will be fun to debate. I think he returns to the Lakers and they make one more run at a title.
