NBA Notes: Lakers, LeBron James, Blazers, Damian Lillard, Kings

Lakers

LeBron James didn’t tip his hand on retirement at media day, but he acknowledged the obvious. And that would be that the finish line is getting closer.

“It’s coming sooner than later,” James said, per The Athletic’s Dan Woike.

James, who made it a priority to share the floor with son Bronny this season, added he won’t hang around simply to repeat that experience with his younger son, Bryce, now a freshman at Arizona.

“I am not waiting on Bryce,” James said. “I don’t know what his own timeline is. I got my timeline, and I don’t know if they quite match up.”

James admitted that playing alongside Luka Doncic provides added “motivation,” but made clear that won’t dictate his decision. Retirement will be a family call, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.

• Austin Reaves turned down a four-year, $87 million extension this summer and admitted to Woike he briefly worried that could land him on the trade block. “I thought there was a good chance for, like, a week after I declined the extension that there was a possibility I’d get traded,” Reaves told Woike. “I mean, it’s still a possibility.” Reaves will be eligible for a far bigger payday in 2026, with some league insiders projecting his next contract could exceed $35 million annually.

• Deandre Ayton is embracing the stage. The new Lakers center called his move to L.A. the “biggest opportunity” of his career and made a point to say he’s not taking it for granted. The former No. 1 pick has spent much of the last two years facing questions about consistency and competitiveness.

Trail Blazers

Damian Lillard made it official. He doesn’t expect to play this season as he rehabs from a torn Achilles.

“I don’t plan on it,” Lillard said at media day, via Rose Garden Report’s Sean Highkin. “I feel like if this team is a one seed (without me), they probably got it. I’m trying to be as healthy as possible.”

Lillard added that trainers and fellow players who’ve suffered similar injuries have urged him not to rush back.

Head coach Chauncey Billups sees a silver lining — the veteran guard will remain on the 15-man roster, giving him a unique player-mentor role for Portland’s young core.

“He’s not a coach. He’s still a player. There’s a different level of connectivity that comes with that,” Billups said.

• Scoot Henderson’s setback isn’t expected to be long-term. The third-year guard called his torn hamstring a “freak accident” and “minor setback.” Billups said it’s disappointing timing, noting Henderson had “an incredible summer” leading up to camp.

Kings

Keegan Murray has two goals in mind this season. He wants to hit at least 40 percent of his threes and make a run at Most Improved Player.

The Kings forward connected on 41.1 percent of his triples as a rookie in 2022–23 but dipped to 34.3 percent last year, averaging 12.4 points per game. He said on Monday that he’s not concerned about his looming rookie extension. Instead, he’s letting his agent handle it.

Meanwhile, veteran DeMar DeRozan reflected candidly on last season’s turbulence, which included a coaching change and multiple rotation-altering trades.

“Just being honest with you, there was just a lot of s–t that was going on that, you know, internally we tried to fight through as players,” DeRozan said. “So I think this time around you’ll see a much different team.”

DeRozan, 36, is entering the second year of his three-year, $73.9 million deal. He averaged 22.2 points, 4.4 assists and 3.9 rebounds last season.