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After the Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated in the Western Conference playoffs Round 1 against the Denver Nuggets, which was only the second Round 1 elimination in LeBron James' playoff career, speculations have been made over the record 20-time NBA All-Star's future with the Purple and Gold franchise as his agent Rich Paul stated that the 39-year-old is a "free agent".
The 2024 NBA post-season has reached its Conference Finals stage with the Boston Celtics leading the Indiana Pacers 3-0 in the East and the Dallas Mavericks are up 2-0 against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the West.
During the West Finals Game 2 between the Timberwolves and the Mavericks, LeBron James' agent and Klutch Sports Group founder Rich Paul commented that the Lakers star is currently a free agent. Paul said, "Look, LeBron’s a free agent. I gotta focus on his business and who should be paying about his business."
After his statement on LeBron, NBA insider Chris Haynes, who was also a part of the panel, asked Paul to clarify his statement and LeBron's agent added, " Chris, you know I don’t do my business on the phone. We’re gonna do what we do every year. We’re gonna evaluate the situation and we’re gonna make the best decision."
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While the future of LeBron James with the Los Angeles Lakers is not sure yet, the leading scorer in NBA history has until June 29 to either continue with the Lakers or decline his $51.4 million player option to become a free agent. LeBron James was recently named in the All-NBA third team, marking his 20th All-NBA selection and surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the oldest player selected to an All-NBA team.
Reportedly, LeBron has no intention of leaving the Lakers and would probably opt-in before the deadline. However, some reports also suggested that the four-time NBA champions could leave the Lakers to play with his first-born Bronny James, one of the prominent 2024 NBA draft prospects.
