LeBron James Retirement Rumors Linked To Lakers’ Interest In All-Star Guard

The Los Angeles Lakers made the postseason and even made the Western Conference Finals. Sadly, the team couldn’t get past Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets and lost four straight games. The front office made some moves at the trade deadline, but it looks like they will have to make some more. Rob Pelinka will cut ties with some of the players on the current roster and he will definitely bring fresh power to the floor. LeBron James and his future with the Lakers make the best topic these days and people can’t stop talking about his retirement.

The king of basketball never said much about his retirement plans. He likes winning titles, but the Lakers won just one during his time in LA. This drought may force the four-time NBA champion to look for another home in the league. He may also just give up and call it career. LeBron said he’d love to play with his oldest son Bronny, but there’s a huge rumor suggesting that he will retire this offseason.

“We’ll see what happens going forward,” LeBron said following the final loss to the Nuggets. “I don’t know. I don’t know. I’ve got a lot to think about, to be honest. Just for me personally going forward with the game of basketball.”

NBA world fuels rumor about LeBron James’ retirement

Chris Haynes from Bleacher Report added fuel to the fire. His report suggests that the Lakers superstar may retire after the end of his 20th season in the NBA. LeBron has been around for two decades, remember? Keep in mind that his game is elite and he can still win games. Bronny could join an NBA team in 2024 and his dad wants to share the same floor with him. In other words, retiring from the NBA may not be an option for the Lakers superstar. Maybe he was just trying to deliver a message for Pelinka and Jeanie Buss.

“I’d bet on LeBron’s comments in part being a negotiation tactic: I’l retire unless you go all-in next season,” Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer tweeted. “And the player James probably wants the Lakers to acquire is Kyrie Irving.”

Ramona Shelburne from ESPN has a similar theory. The whole retirement rumor could be nothing but a plan to bring Irving in LA. LeBron’s former teammate has been linked to the Lakers for quite some time. So, this may be “a leverage play to pressure vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka into retaining some of the core players who’d emerged for the Lakers during this improbable playoff run, or to pursue free-agent-to-be Kyrie Irving.”