Retirement? Play for another year? The choice is still doubtful! James hasn t decided yet!

For the Los Angeles Lakers, this season ended a bit too early, and the results of the first round did not meet fans' expectations. But even so, as an NBA traffic brigade, there is never a lack of hot news about them in the league.

On May 10, James said something in his latest podcast program:

"I have not talked to my family about my future plans yet... No matter what will happen in the end, let's take a look."

This sentence seems simple, and on the surface it is a casual statement from a 40-year-old veteran, but it inevitably triggers many people's speculation:

Will James' last season be James's last season?

You should know that James currently has a player option worth $52.6 million. In other words, he can choose to play for another year, or he can choose to jump out of his contract and become a free agent, or even choose to retire.

This is not the first time he has faced such a choice. In the past few offseasons, he would occasionally talk about the possibility of retirement in front of the camera. But this time, everyone could feel that it was different. He was really 40 years old, and the end of his career might be not far ahead.

But the problem is that he really didn't play like a 40-year-old.

All season, James is still one of the most stable and threatening players of the Lakers. Even though time has taken away some bounce and speed, his experience, ball quotient, pass vision and handling ability at critical moments are still top in the league.

However, none of this can stop the real problem:

The Lakers still want to continue to build a team around his core position? Or look to the future and rebuild?

Previously, NBA player Paul Pierce publicly stated that the Lakers should consider letting go of James and turning their attention to the future. After all, it is not a long-term solution to be centered around a 40-year-old veteran. Especially when James executes the player option, the Lakers will face huge salary pressure and may be stuck in the luxury tax if they are not careful.

And James has not thought about these things. In the interview, he admitted:

"I have a lot of things to consider... I don't know what the team's lineup will be like next season, nor do I know where I am in the team."

This season, the Lakers have a strong trade to Doncic. This Slovenian basketball genius has the ability to take over James and lead the Lakers. Some reporters also asked James about Doncic's future choices, but James doesn't seem to care about it:

"That's not my business... The deal is for the future of the team and has nothing to do with me."

To put it directly, he will not stop the Lakers from planning for the future, and he also knows that he can no longer be part of that future:

"He is only 26 years old, I am 40 years old, and he cannot tie his career to me. This is a fact."

No matter which path James will choose next, this summer is destined to be an important turning point for the Lakers. And this turning point will eventually slowly change around James. Thinking of the podcast, James said a heartbreaking but true enough:

"Damn, I can't stay in the league for long."

This sentence is inevitably a bit emotional.

As for what about his future? We don’t know at this time, or he hasn’t figured it out yet. But what is certain is that no matter what choice is made, it will affect the Lakers, the league, and even the NBA memory of the entire era.