LeBron Undecided on Lakers Contract, NBA Retirement Decision After Loss to Wolves

LeBron James is once again thinking about how much time he has left in the NBA after his 22nd season came to an end on Wednesday night.

Speaking to reporters after the Los Angeles Lakers' 103-96 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of the Western Conference playoffs (starts at 1:10 mark), James admitted he's undecided about how much longer he will keep playing:

"I don't know. I don't have an answer to that. Something I'll sit down with my family, my wife and my support group and kind of just talk through it and see what happens. And just have a conversation with myself on how long I want to continue to play. I don't know the answer to that right now, to be honest. So we'll see"

Later in the press conference (starts at 4:50 mark), James explained it's hard to predict what the roster will look like next season except for the players locked into deals and he's "got a lot to think about myself" thinking about the offseason.

This could be another summer in which James goes through a contract negotiation. He has a $52.6 million player option that must be picked up by June 29.

James told ESPN's Dave McMenamin afterward that his comments weren't necessarily about him looking to play for any team besides the Lakers, but about his contract status and how much he wants to keep playing.

"Just continuing to play, I don't know where I'm at," James said. "That's what that is. Not coming back to play here. Just playing period."

It will be interesting to see how James approaches a contract negotiation this summer if he does opt out. There were reports last year he would consider taking less than the max if the Lakers were able to bring in free agents to boost the roster.

Even though the Lakers weren't able to make a big splash in free agency, James did ultimately take slightly less than max money on his two-year, $101.4 million deal.

Dorian Finney-Smith is probably the most notable impending free agent on Los Angeles' roster, assuming James either opts in or will re-sign. Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves are both eligible for extensions this summer.

Dončić's status will be another key storyline because he's ineligible to sign the supermax after being traded during the season. The most he could get from the Lakers this summer is $228.6 million over four years, but a short-term deal would allow him to eventually sign a five-year, $418 million contract starting with the 2028-29 season.

Despite being 40 years old, James certainly doesn't look like a player who is nearing the end of his career. He averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds per game in 70 starts this season.

The Lakers earned the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference with a 50-32 record. It was their most wins in a regular season since 2019-20 when they won the NBA championship.