The Lakers have called for a change of generations and are dealing with: Will James leave, or will there be two on the team?

The Golden State Warriors with Curry were eliminated in the playoffs with Sacramento, Durant and the Phoenix Suns were defeated by Minnesota 4-0 in the first round. James missed elimination with Denver for the second year in a row, a potential double after winning the NBA tournament remained out of sight.

Compared to last year’s conference finals, the Lakers won at least one matchup, thus breaking the streak of eleven defeats against the Nuggets, which stretched back to December 2022.

But other certainties remain for NBA fans.

The Lakers are dealing with a number of question marks after being eliminated, and it may seem that they are only clear about who was their executioner this year.

Denver’s Jamal Murray decided in the last seconds of even duels number two (101:99) and number five (108:106). “I have no words,” he beamed after his fourth consecutive win. “This moment was even better.” In addition, no one has ever managed to hit two key baskets in one series of elimination fights.

The Canadian basketball player celebrated with coach Michael Malone after the final horn and joked: “Coach, it’s good that I played today. I don’t know if we would have won if I hadn’t started.” The Nuggets power forward is suffering from a strained calf, but he quickly dismissed thoughts of sitting out on the bench.

And finally he decided.

In Denver, he arranged joy, in Los Angeles he untangled reflections on the future, which no one wanted to talk about already at the end of April.

The number one question mark is undoubtedly LeBron James’ stay. He will celebrate his 40th birthday at the end of the year, it is not clear if he will wear a Lakers jersey at that time.

“I won’t answer such questions,” replied James at the press conference, where he spoke mainly about his family and also the preparation for the Olympics in Paris. “I can’t wait to go home and we have a training camp in Vegas in a few months.”

He has until June 29 to decide if he will use the option to continue in LA, where he would come to $51.4 million, or go another way. According to The Athletic’s sources, James wants to play two more seasons. Therefore, it can be expected that potential interested parties will rush in with offers in the meantime.

The dream of a Curry-James connection lives on in San Francisco. The Warriors unsuccessfully tested the situation already during the winter, after an extra season in Steve Kerr’s team they are dealing with the retention of another big name – Klay Thompson. And there opens an interesting path.

His father Mychal Thompson has two titles with the Los Angeles club from the late 1980s and has been co-commentating on their matches for several decades. In addition, Klay was a Lakers fan in his childhood.

But would general manager Rob Pelinka allow such a cast?

So far it seems not.

They want to keep James in LA. There is talk of the draft of his son Bronny, because the family interplay on the NBA board belongs to the dreams of the best scorer of the competition, but he previously admitted that he would be satisfied if he met his son “only” as an opponent.

Other management steps will also be important, as they must show an effort to properly supplement the team around James and Anthony Davis. For example, there is talk of getting Trae Young from Atlanta.

The retention or departure of coach Darvin Ham, who still has a valid four-year contract from 2022, can also play a role, but his position is more than fragile. Foreign websites agree that relations in the cabin were not ideal, there was dissatisfaction with his lineup rotations and tactics.

The coach’s authority has reportedly been faltering since February, which is unacceptable for an organization like the Lakers.

The management of the club from Los Angeles thus faces unwanted unknowns.