Even before LeBron James brought an imminent end to his career, Anthony Davis sat frustrated and shaking his head in his chair in the Los Angeles Lakers locker room. Star James made shortly afterwards the first hints about his future, national team captain Dennis Schröder spoke after the play-off against the Denver Nuggets on Monday evening (local time) on the other side of the room also about the prospects.

Four losses in four games against the Denver Nuggets ended the Los Angeles Lakers' season in the Western Conference Finals. The title in the best basketball league in the world will probably be determined by the Nuggets around their strong leader Nikola Jokic in a duel with the Miami Heat, who are already leading 3-0 against the Boston Celtics in their series. And as if all this wasn't frustration and sadness enough for all fans of the league's glamour club, James also opened that one barrel that his supporters fear.

Schroeder and Lakers: "Both sides want"

After much praise for the strong performances of the Nuggets around Jokic, who again hit the most impossible shots in the 113-111 in LA and thus helped his team to make up a 15-point deficit at the break in the third quarter, James ended his conversation with the media very thoughtfully – in the truest sense of the word. The question is "whether I want to continue playing," he said, according to ESPN in a short conversation with a reporter from the US broadcaster. The journalist had asked James for more clarity on his comments just minutes earlier.

"At this point in my career, I'm just playing to win titles. I don't get a kick when I'm in the Conference Finals. I've been there. Often. I don't enjoy it if I'm not part of getting to the Finals," the 38-year-old NBA scoring record holder said. "We'll see what happens. There's a lot I need to think about. I don't know. I have a lot to think about, if I'm honest. There's a lot to think about about what's next for me personally with basketball."

James, who had a strong game for the Lakers with 40 points, but was blocked by Aaron Gordon on the last shot of the evening and thus missed the chance to force an overtime, is under contract with the Lakers for at least one more season, if he wants a second one. The American will be 2024 years old in December 40. In the past, he has expressed several times that he would like to play together with his eldest son on an NBA team. LeBron James Jr., nicknamed Bronny, will play in college for the University of Southern California next season and won't be in the NBA until the 2024/2025 season at the earliest.

Davis also has a valid contract for the coming year. However, it is unclear who will don the legendary jersey in yellow and purple alongside Jarred Vanderbildt and the young Max Christie from the 2023/2024 squad, which was overhauled in February, regardless of James' mind games. Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and D'Angelo Russell all played a significant role in the unexpectedly great success of the record champions, who had started the season with just two wins from twelve games and were now among the top four teams.

But they all need a new contract and therefore probably cost more money - just like Schröder, who brought many more fans behind him during his second stay in Los Angeles than he did the first time in 2020/2021 and was an elementary part of the playoff successes with his tireless defensive efforts.

Because the Lakers, like all teams in the NBA, have a salary cap, it seems difficult to have all relevant professionals on board again in the coming season. "This is a dream of the future. So I think both sides want to, of course," Schroeder told the German Press Agency when asked whether he had played his last game in the jersey of the record champions.

Lakers coach Darvin Ham is like a family member to him and of course he knows "that I would always continue to play for him. There's no question about it," said Schröder, who was in the starting lineup against Denver in game four and recorded 38 points and five assists in just over 13 minutes of action. However, the Lakers would first have to get a grip on the overall situation with the expiring contracts. "In the summer, when free agency happens, then my agent and advisor will talk to them. And then we'll see." So when and if Schroeder, James and Davis will share a cabin again remains to be seen.