For the past few days, the media news cycle has been dominated by conversation about Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James and his playing future after he revealed that he would be considering retirement this offseason.

38 years old and coming off of yet another trying season with the Lakers, LeBron's frustrations with the franchise appear to be boiling over. Nonetheless, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reports that James’ retirement decision “could be a nonissue, with a source close to James telling ESPN on Thursday that he believes the Lakers star will indeed be back for season No. 21 and fulfill his contract…”

LeBron signed a two-year, $97.1 million contract with L.A. in the 2022 offseason, with a $50.7 million player option for the 2024-25 season.

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Frankly, the notoriously business-savvy James is unlikely to turn down that amount of money, but the truth of the matter is that the Lakers would pay that to LeBron whether he retired or not. That said, the idea of fulfilling his contractual obligations would undoubtedly factor into his decision-making, as the 19-time All-Star has long upheld the standards of responsibility and integrity.

It’s notable that McMenamin adds that “the biggest question facing the Lakers this offseason is figuring out what to do at point guard,” though. Especially in light of how D'Angelo Russell and Dennis Schroder fared against Jamal Murray and the Denver Nuggets in the 2023 Western Conference Finals.

That could point to LeBron’s greatest frustration in L.A., with the Lakers searching for the correct point guard to pair him with for years.