Nothing gets done within the Los Angeles Lakers unless LeBron James is on board with it. That's been the way throughout his entire career in the NBA, and that trend won't change now that he heads towards the sunset of his career.
The Lakers have gone to great lengths to keep their superstar happy, as they should. So, the hope is that James will retire wearing purple and gold.
Both parties could make great strides in that direction pretty soon. James will be eligible to sign a massive contract extension that could keep him in L.A. through his age 40 season:
"James is eligible to sign a contract extension with the Lakers on Thursday, Aug. 4. It could be a one-year extension worth $47 million or a two-year extension worth $97 million. (There isn't a hard deadline on that deal. It could stay on the table until the start of next year's free agency period.)," reported Jordan Greer of The Sporting News.
Moreover, NBA insider Marc Stein revealed that James isn't considering walking away from the Lakers right now, as he and his family are having a great time in Southern California:
“Sources briefed on the matter stress that James is extremely happy in Los Angeles despite the Lakers’ back-to-back rocky seasons,” Stein reported. “He and his family, by all accounts, have grown increasingly entrenched in Southern California since James signed with the Lakers in the summer of 2018.”
But still, Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka shouldn't sleep on their laurels. James' happiness could take a downturn if the Lakers struggle mightily again next season:
"I'm gonna say it won't [be LeBron James' last season in LA], but I think it really depends on Russ and the season that they have," Buha reported. "I think if they stand pat and basically punt the season, I could see him potentially leaving next offseason, but my expectation is they're gonna flip Russ at some point. And assuming they get Buddy Hield or Kyrie, or a decent package back for them, I think that's probably enough to satisfy LeBron and keep it in L.A."
But regardless of what happens with the Lakers, the 2022-23 campaign will perhaps be the most important in James' career.
He needs to average roughly 16 points per game to surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA's all-time leading scorer, way below his career average of nearly 27 points.
