Lakers’ untimely playoff exit leads to questions about LeBron’s future
The Los Angeles Lakers were at the top of nearly everyone’s list to make a deep run in the NBANBA playoffs see several blowouts led by Thunder’s 51-point masterpiece, especially after the Feb. 2 trade with the Dallas Mavericks for superstar Luka Dončić. That run ended abruptly Wednesday, April 30, with a 103-96 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
What happened to the Lakers’ championship hopes?
Many fans and NBA pundits believed Dončić and LeBron James playing together would be an unstoppable combination, but the Timberwolves won their first-round series in five games.
Minnesota got a career performance from center Rudy Gobert. The defensive specialist took advantage of the Lakers’ limited options at center and dominated inside, posting 27 points and 24 rebounds. After the loss, James was asked how difficult it was playing without a center after trading All-Star Anthony Davis in the Dončić deal.
“I never say that because my guy AD said what he needed and then he was gone the following week. So, I got no comment.” James said.
Was the trade for Dončić a bust? Will James return?
James was referring to Davis’ comments before the trade about needing help inside. James was more forthcoming about his future on Wednesday night. He will be 41 in December when, and if, he decides to make another run with Dončić.
Was the blockbuster trade a bust? James said he and Dončić probably require more time on the court to come together. An offseason may help in that regard, but will James return for a 23rd season to find out?
“I don’t have the answer to that,” James said. “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 then just having conversations 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 let me see.”
Can the Lakers make a trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo?
More time playing together is bound to help, along with adding a proven center or even another mega-superstar like Giannis Antetokounmpo. The NBA rumor mill is churning after Giannis and the Bucks were knocked out of the playoffs Tuesday, April 29.
In terms of a trade, Los Angeles will likely be outbid by several other teams in any package offered to the Bucks. James was asked what he hopes his supporting cast will look like should he decide to return.
“Listen, it’s a business too,” James said. “So, you don’t know what the roster will look like next year besides the guys that’s locked into contracts. So, I mean, I got a lot to think about myself. So, I don’t know what the roster will look like. I don’t know where I stand right now.”
What’s next for the Minnesota Timberwolves?
As for the upstart Timberwolves, they are moving on with their own superstar Anthony Edwards, who took a moment after the win to deliver a message to all his team’s detractors.
“Ah, you know what makes it feel even better is they said the Lakers in five and the Wolves won in five,” Edwards said. “I think that makes it feel 10 times better; that’s my only answer. It means a lot, beating the best player in the world.”
Minnesota will move on to face the winner of the series between the Houston Rockets versus Golden State Warriors. The Warriors lead the best of seven, 3 games to 2 with game 6 in San Francisco, Friday, May 2.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
