Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
LeBron James in considering retirement after the Lakers were swept out of the conference finals. If he leaves, the Lakers need to get busy in free agency.
The Los Angeles Lakers have LeBron James under contract for the 2023-24 season at roughly $46.9 million. He then has a player option for $50.6 million in 2024-25 — theoretically, the year his son enters the NBA. None of that matters if LeBron decides to hang up his shoes early.
After the Nuggets swept LA out of the conference finals on Monday, LeBron spoke frankly with reporters about his mindset ahead of the summer. He said he will consider retirement; he has to. At 38 years old, with 20 years of NBA mileage on his body and several recent injuries weighing on him, it’s hard to blame the King.
There has been debate over the sincerity of LeBron’s comments: some are calling it a leverage play to force the front office to pursue Kyrie Irving, others are arguing that he simply wants to reorient the spotlight back on himself and the Lakers after Denver’s advancement.
If James does in fact retire, however, the Lakers would need to work hard to make up for his absence. The place to start is free agency.
Free agents the Lakers should pursue if LeBron James retires:
3. Fred VanVleet
If the Lakers want to build around Anthony Davis, there is still a path to contention on some level even without LeBron. Kyrie Irving is probably the flashiest name on the market, but the Lakers should be inclined to pursue more reliable, inexpensive options if James is out of the picture.
Fred VanVleet and the Raptors have been trending in the direction of a breakup for some time now. Maybe the firing of Nick Nurse convinces VanVleet to give it another go, but the Raptors just finished ninth in the East and VanVleet looked like a shell of himself for stretches of last season.
Still, the 29-year-old provides defensive toughness and reliable playmaking at the point guard spot. The Lakers have probably been scared off of D’Angelo Russell and Dennis Schroder has the ability to walk in free agency. Austin Reaves is a significant threat to bounce to another team too, but LeBron’s retirement could free up more cap space for the Lakers to re-sign him.
Regardless of how the Reaves situation plays out, VanVleet is a good target. He can set up Anthony Davis out of the pick-and-roll, bolster the Lakers’ perimeter shot creation and shooting numbers, and he’s a proven commodity in the playoffs. He would be a significant upgrade over Russell.
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