There’s a realistic chance LeBron James could be playing his final game as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night.
The Lakers, down 3-0 in the Western Conference semifinals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, are massive 9.5-point underdogs despite playing at home. The reigning champions have decimated the Lakers by an average margin of 19.7 points through the first three wins in the series, while forcing Los Angeles into committing 18.7 turnovers per game with their swarming defense. They seem primed to continue their dominance on Monday and punch their ticket to the Western Conference Finals.
With a win, the undefeated Thunder (7-0) will join the 1988-89 Lakers as the only defending champion to start a title defense 8-0. The 2000-01 Lakers started 11-0, but back when the first round was still a best-of-five format, which they swept 3-0.
LeBron James Enters Free Agency
James, an unrestricted free agent this offseason, has reportedly yet to make a call on where he intends to play in the 2026-27 season. Per multiple insiders, the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers will pursue him in free agency, while the Lakers prefer to retain the services of “The King” for at least one more year.
The Athletic’s Sam Amick predicted last week that James was most likely to stay with the Lakers for a ninth consecutive season. During the same discussion, retired guard Lou Williams predicted James would return to Cleveland for his farewell.
“As a fan, I think all signs lead to LeBron-Cleveland reunion a second time,” Williams predicted.
“And he goes off into the sunset. I’m into big finishes when it comes to careers — I would love to see that.”
Lakers Enter Key Offseason
For what it’s worth, Lakers front office boss Rob Pelinka previously said that the team prefers to re-sign James.
“If James wants to play a 24th season, he would be welcomed back in L.A., sources told ESPN,” ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported in February.
“Pelinka declared before the start of this season that he would love it if James retired a Laker, and, sources told ESPN, that sentiment was meant to reflect a 2026 retirement or a 2027 retirement, if James intends to extend his career.”
Besides addressing the LeBron James free agency this summer, the Lakers have a key offseason that involves rebuilding the roster around new franchise star Luka Doncic. The Lakers could potentially have over $50M in cap space, and that’s even after factoring in free agent Austin Reaves’ $20.9M cap hold. Los Angeles could have even more money to spend if Reaves bolts as a free agent.
The Lakers will reportedly pursue restricted free agents such as Jalen Duren, Peyton Watson and Tari Eason, and veterans like Isaiah Hartenstein, Mitchell Robinson, Daniel Gafford and Jarrett Allen, as they strive to build around Doncic.
Lakers vs. Thunder Game 4 tips off at 10:30 p.m. ET on Monday. If it marks the end of LeBron James’ Lakers career, he would have finished with 12,402 points in the regular season and 1,586 points in the playoffs spanning eight seasons.
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