NBA fans think LeBron James could be talking retirement to use as leverage on the Lakers

LeBron James has played 19 seasons in the NBA and accomplished just about everything. And after his Los Angeles Lakers got swept by the Denver Nuggets, James seemed curiously uncertain about his future.

He wouldn’t really consider retirement as a serious next move, would he? That would mean his last-ever playoff series, his official NBA ending, was a humbling sweep. I get that he’s played a while, and there’s a lot of mileage here, but this sentiment just doesn’t add up for one of the best basketball players of all time. I don’t buy him walking away at this moment in time.

There’s something off here, isn’t there?

While James hasn’t directly confirmed retirement plans as of yet, the timing of these kinds of rumors is fascinating, given the Lakers’ current crossroads. Even with a run to the Western Conference Finals, it’s clear L.A. needs a major retool (Kyrie Irving?) before it can compete for a championship and help James win a fifth title.

NBA fans and reporters seem to think James might use retirement talks as a way to push the Lakers to improve the team (or simply get what he wants) with good old-fashioned leverage.