Lakers want LeBron James to return for another season alongside Luka Doncic, GM Rob Pelinka says

LOS ANGELES (AP) — If LeBron James wants to keep playing professional basketball, the Los Angeles Lakers want it to be with them. General manager Rob Pelinka and coach JJ Redick affirmed their desire to keep James in a Lakers uniform on Tuesday. James' eighth season with the club ended Monday night with a heartbreaking 115-110 loss and a second-round sweep at the hands of the powerhouse champion Oklahoma City Thunder .

The 41-year-old James just completed his unprecedented 23rd NBA season, and he says he doesn't know whether he'll keep going . "Any team, including ours, would love to have LeBron James on their roster,” Pelinka said. “That’s a blessing in itself, just with what he does.

” The top scorer in league history is an unrestricted free agent this offseason, so James can choose his destination if he postpones retirement for another year — although not every team has the payroll flexibility to pay him something near his worth. The Lakers have significant salary cap room and many decisions to make, but they're hoping James will choose to remain a part of their attempt to build a championship-contending roster around Luka Doncic . “He’s given so much to his teammates, to this organization, and the thing we want to do more than anything else is honor him back," Pelinka said.

Pelinka spoke repeatedly of his desire to “honor” James' decision process. That means waiting until James tells them what's happening, and the Lakers appear to be content to wait for weeks to come. “The first order of business there is allowing him to spend the time he needs to decide what his next steps are,” Pelinka said.