LeBron James and the LA Lakers find themselves in a 3-1 hole after losing Game 4 116-113 to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday at Target Center. While it’s not unheard of for teams to come back from a 3-1 deficit, it is a feat incredibly hard to accomplish.
The last NBA team to accomplish the feat was the Denver Nuggets in the 2020 Western Conference semifinals when they came back from a 3-1 deficit against the LA Clippers.
James was a part of arguably the most historic comeback in 2016 when he and the Cleveland Cavaliers overturned a 3-1 deficit to win the title against the Golden State Warriors. Does James, at age 40, have enough firepower to do something similar?
The Lakers’ season could end as early as Wednesday when they host the T-Wolves for Game 5. With that reality in mind, let’s consider the reasons why a first-round series loss could mean the end of LeBron James’s career.
LeBron James and Luka Doncic’s cap hits account for 65.27% of the Lakers’ salary in the ongoing season. James earns $48,728,845, while Doncic earns $43,031,940 (all numbers via Spotrac). While that number will drop to 63.77% in the upcoming season, it’s highly unlikely to make a massive difference in roster building.
The lack of roster depth was clearly evident during Sunday’s loss when LA coach JJ Redick had to field James, Doncic, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and Dorian Finney-Smith for the entire second half.
While playing long minutes in the postseason is the norm, such extended minutes could be a recipe for disaster for someone of James’ age. Overall, in Game 4, James, Hachimura, Reaves and Doncic combined for 105 points, while the rest of the team had just eight points.
With the team already in the first apron for next season, it won’t have much leeway for trades. The most it could do is trade any of Hachimura ($18,259,259), Finney-Smith ($15,378,480) or Reaves’ ($13,937,574) contract for a center.
Even if the Lakers manage to pull off a trade, the problem is that trading one of their key players for a center leaves other positions weak, which continues the issue of lack of depth all over again.
LeBron James is in the middle of a two-year, $101,355,998 extension that has a player option for the upcoming season. This paves the way for James to call it a career. In December, he said that he is operating on a year-to-year plan despite claiming he could play at a high level for another five to seven years, as per CBS Sports.
In the same interview, James also said that he would likely call it a career with the LA Lakers and he didn’t want to go to another organization before his career was over. With the loopholes visible in the squad, James could decide it is unrealistic to win a title next year as well and thus retire.
As per Bleacher Report’s latest mock draft, the LA Lakers won’t have a pick in the first round. They are projected to pick 55th in the second round. The best way to rebuild is through the draft. While great players have been unearthed later in the second round as well, that is often not the case.
So, LA’s lack of draft capital could mean the end of James’ career.
LeBron James celebrated his 40th birthday in December and is the oldest player in the league. While he is still playing at a high level, he doesn’t really have anything more to prove. He said he mulled retirement in the 2023 offseason, so it’s not far-fetched to guess he might call it a day in the upcoming offseason.
LeBron James leads the league in regular-season scoring, postseason scoring, All-Star appearances (21) and several other categories. The four-time champion has been in the league since he was an 18-year-old coming straight out of high school.
This might be the best time to retire and watch his sons develop their games to become future NBA stars.
