As LeBron James's 23rd season winds down with the playoffs looming, there's been much speculation about what his next move will be. Will he retire or continue his career and compete for a career-defining fifth ring? In the latest episode of Clutch Scoops, Clutch Points Senior NBA Reporter Brett Siegel laid out three potential pathways for James in the offseason.
Option one is the most obvious: retirement. In this scenario, James would ride off into the sunset as one of the best athletes ever.
“If the Lakers do go on that magical run and they go to the NBA Finals and they somehow win the Larry O'Brein trophy, I think that would be it for LeBron. I think that he would retire on a high note and go out as a champion.”
Option two is the most plausible: returning to the Lakers to reunite with Luka Doncic after a wildly successful 50+ win season.
“Possibly going back to the Lakers is, I believe, a topic of discussion because they've been a second-half team where they've had a second-half surge. Luka is playing an absurd, historic month of March that nobody ever has before. And I believe he just won player of the month as well…if they upset the Thunder, if they find their way into the NBA Finals, could that coerce LeBron to come back? I think the answer is absolutely yes,” Siegel said, laying out the stakes for a return to the Purple and Gold.
Option 3 is the perfect storybook ending: returning to the Cavaliers for one last dance. But Brett sees the first two options as the most plausible. The future for James certainly lies in how the Lakers fare in the postseason. Los Angeles is currently the third seed and has clinched the Pacific division. The conversation over LeBron's future could be coming sooner rather than later and the basketball world is awaiting what occurs.
