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LeBron James and the LA Lakers have their eyes set on the NBA playoffs. But it won't come easy, as the Western Conference standings are more competitive than ever.
Despite dealing with injuries throughout the 2022-23 NBA season, LeBron James has shown he can still be a dominant force when healthy. In 47 games this year, he is averaging 29.3 points, 8.4 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game while shooting 50.2% from the field.
The 38-year-old is still a force on both sides of the ball, even in his 20th NBA season. The question on everyone’s mind is how long will LeBron continue to play at this type of level? With the contract of the Lakers superstar, it could allow James to continue to look towards short-term extensions.
According to Spotrac, James is set to earn around $46.9 million for the 2023-24 season. After that, he will have a player option for the 2024-25 season for north of $50.6 million.
Odds are that if the Lakers and James want to continue this "marriage" into the 2024-25 season, both parties will most likely enter negotiations for an extension.
LeBron James and LA Lakers attempting to make playoff push
The future status of LeBron James and the LA Lakers will obviously be something to keep a close eye on. For now, the focus for LeBron and the Lakers will be on getting back to the NBA playoffs.
The Lakers will have their work cut out for them. Heading into Tuesday night's game, the Lakers find themselves in ninth place in the Western Conference standings.
They remain just one game behind, moving into seventh place and 1.5 games behind the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves from jumping to as high as sixth in the standings.
Los Angeles has won three of their last four games. Their only loss came against the Chicago Bulls on Sunday, which also included the return of LeBron James to the court. He was sidelined while dealing with a right foot tendon injury. Coming off the bench, James finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and three assists while shooting 6-of-11 from the field.
With the regular season winding down, the Lakers know time is valuable. That goes double for their aging superstar who is battling to get back into postseason play. The Lakers will hit the road for the start of a five-game road trip which begins with a showdown on Wednesday against the Chicago Bulls.
After that, the Lakers will take on the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday, a game that will have huge playoff seeding implications.
