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LeBron James wouldn't commit to his future in the immediate aftermath of the Los Angeles Lakers' first-round loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night, but several talking heads have already begun making decisions for him in the hours that have passed since the Game 5 loss at Crypto.com Arena.
One voice calling for the Lakers to take the decision out of James' hands is Paul Pierce, formerly of the Boston Celtics who was a longtime rival of James when the two were battling for Eastern Conference supremacy back in the late 2000s and early 2010s.
While sitting on the Thursday panel on FS1's sports talk show "Speak," Pierce suggested that Los Angeles sever ties with James this offseason and fully embrace the next era of Lakers basketball, which will be centered around Luka Doncic.
Pierce's ideas should probably be taken with a grain of salt considering the competitiveness, and at times bitterness, he's expressed over his professional relationship/rivalry with James. But even singularly from a basketball perspective, Pierce's points can be contested.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James dribbles the basketball against Minnesota Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker.Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Los Angeles had a roster constructed around James and Anthony Davis, then had to adjust that on the fly after Doncic became available ahead of the trade deadline in February. The team has several pathways toward roster reconstruction in the offseason, and adding size inside and more defense/3-point shooting on the perimeter could put the Lakers in contention for a title as early as 2025.
James was an All-Star again in 2024-25, his 22nd season in the league, and is poised to earn a spot on one of the three All-NBA squads for the 21st consecutive year -- all at the age of 40.
Doncic carried the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals last season with Kyrie Irving as his primary running mate, with whom James went to the Finals four straight times and captured a championship when they were teammates with the Cleveland Cavaliers. James and Irving aren't the same player, of course, but if Doncic could do it with Irving, it would stand to reason he can accomplish the same feats with James.
Furthermore, James has a player option on the 2025-26 season as well as a no-trade clause. So if he wants to play in L.A. next year, there is nothing the Lakers can do about that -- even if they want to.
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One voice calling for the Lakers to take the decision out of James' hands is Paul Pierce, formerly of the Boston Celtics who was a longtime rival of James when the two were battling for Eastern Conference supremacy back in the late 2000s and early 2010s.
While sitting on the Thursday panel on FS1's sports talk show "Speak," Pierce suggested that Los Angeles sever ties with James this offseason and fully embrace the next era of Lakers basketball, which will be centered around Luka Doncic.
Pierce's ideas should probably be taken with a grain of salt considering the competitiveness, and at times bitterness, he's expressed over his professional relationship/rivalry with James. But even singularly from a basketball perspective, Pierce's points can be contested.
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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James dribbles the basketball against Minnesota Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker.Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Los Angeles had a roster constructed around James and Anthony Davis, then had to adjust that on the fly after Doncic became available ahead of the trade deadline in February. The team has several pathways toward roster reconstruction in the offseason, and adding size inside and more defense/3-point shooting on the perimeter could put the Lakers in contention for a title as early as 2025.
James was an All-Star again in 2024-25, his 22nd season in the league, and is poised to earn a spot on one of the three All-NBA squads for the 21st consecutive year -- all at the age of 40.
Doncic carried the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals last season with Kyrie Irving as his primary running mate, with whom James went to the Finals four straight times and captured a championship when they were teammates with the Cleveland Cavaliers. James and Irving aren't the same player, of course, but if Doncic could do it with Irving, it would stand to reason he can accomplish the same feats with James.
Furthermore, James has a player option on the 2025-26 season as well as a no-trade clause. So if he wants to play in L.A. next year, there is nothing the Lakers can do about that -- even if they want to.
Continue reading...
