“Yeah. I plan on playing every game.” LeBron James made a highly ambitious claim at the start of the season. And he kept his word for the first 23 matchups. However, an injury report dated December 11 reported “left foot soreness” for the player’s absence from the Lakers’ 98-107 victory over Portland. But that’s not the worrying part. It’s the cluelessness about his return within the team that has got the community concerned…

For starters, when the team’s head coach JJ Reddick was enquired about his player’s return status by ESPN’s Dave McMenamin after last Wednesday’s practice, all he had to say was, “LeBron is not with the team right now. He’s out for personal reasons, excused absence.”

On December 13, he was asked again. And as per Lakers beat reporter Khobi Price of the Southern California News Group, “JJ Redick responded “no” when asked whether he knows when LeBron James will rejoin the team.”

And now add to that, Anthony Davis‘ most recent response, and there might be more reasons to worry than not. After the Lakers’ 87-97 loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves on December 13, Davis was questioned during a post-game interview: “I know LeBron’s been away from the team…he’s dealing with the foot stuff but this period, [loss in] three games in two weeks, basically, is a little bit of a reset. Have you spoken to him about kind of the tone that you guys as stakeholders need to set in the stretch? Does it feel like an opportunity for you two specifically to kind of put your stamp on things?”

The Brow responded, “I haven’t talking to him about any of that.” James’ last game was on December 6 when he posted a 39-point, 11-rebound and 10-assist triple-double in a 134-132 road loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

Having said that, after Davis’ confession, the thing to think about is whether this is a worrying update for Laker Nation, especially with James’ name constantly emerging in trade rumors. Although he has never been traded in his entire career, the Lakers’ recent struggles have opened up that possibility. Potential destination? The Golden State Warriors!

But there’s also one other aspect people keep forgetting about. Even though the icon is still at his best in terms of gameplay, he’s 39 and the oldest active player in the league—the average retirement age in the NBA is 32 to 36 years old. Earlier this year, he also acknowledged the same.

When asked how much longer he plans to play, the 4x NBA champion said, “Not very long. Not very long. I’m on the other side, obviously, of the hill. So I’m not going to play another 21 years, that’s for damn sure. But not very long. I don’t know what or when that door will close as far as when I retire, but I don’t have much time left.”

And then in another interview on November 13, he reiterated the same again. “I’m not going to play that much longer, to be completely honest. I said the other night, I’m not playing until the wheels fall off. I’m not going to be that guy. I’m not going to be the guy who is disrespecting the game because I just wanted to be out on the floor. That won’t be me.” 

“So, it’s all up to my body, but more importantly, my mind. If my mind can stay sharp and fresh and motivated, then the sky’s not even a limit for me. I can go beyond that. But we shall see.”

As for the trade rumor buzz, it was in February that the Warriors were in conversation with the Lakers, expressing interest in acquiring LeBron. However, his agent and long-time pal Rich Paul shut down that idea. As per veteran insider Marc Stein, “Sources say Paul implored both teams to scrap the concept… largely because he wanted to insulate James from potential backlash over switching teams for the fourth time in his career.” But that idea could be back on the table with the Purple and Gold franchise struggling to find wins.

As per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, “The Warriors have dreamed of pairing LeBron with Steph Curry and Draymond Green since last year. They’ve made an inquiry and it got shut down last February. That was before LeBron played with Steve Kerr and Steph Curry and won the gold medal over the summer. So, they will definitely monitor the situation.” Well, ever since Curry and James teamed up for Team USA at the Paris Olympics to bring home the nation’s fifth straight gold in men’s basketball, fans have dreamed to see them playing together again. But how possible is that?

James didn’t throw the idea out of the window for sure. On October 14, he was asked if he could team up with Curry again. His answer? Not a “no” or a “probably not”, but a “I have no idea.” Well, the door’s surely not sealed tight, is it?

But then again, he also said in February this year: “I am a Laker and I’m happy and been very happy being a Laker the last six years and hopefully it stays that way. But I don’t have the answer to how long it is or which uniform I’ll be in. Hopefully [it] is with the Lakers. It’s a great organization, so many greats. But we’ll see.” “We’ll see”? Okay.

But one thing’s for sure. Whatever the future holds for 4x NBA Finals MVP, the ball will always be in his court…

LeBron James’ no-trade clause will give him the upper hand

Even though LeBron’s recent absence and trade buzz have raised concerns for the LA fans, he can only be traded to another team if he wants to. That’s because of the no-trade clause in his contract. An executive told veteran insider Brian Windhorst how powerless Jeanie Buss and Co. are in this situation, “The Lakers or any team who might want to trade for him don’t really have any say in the matter. He’s got a no-trade clause. Unless he goes in and tells Jeanie he wants to leave, it’s not even a discussion.”

Moreover, his $101.3 million contract does not make it easy for teams to put together the pieces for a trade. Nonetheless, even at age 39, his market value hasn’t diminished much as James has arguably been the most consistent Lakers star this season, averaging 23 points and over 9 assists.

So, the ball is totally in LeBron’s court as fans await his decision of whether he wants to continue playing for the Lakers or pick a new destination. Meanwhile, all the Lakers can do is wait for the 4x NBA champ to recover from his foot injury and return to the lineup.