The most overlooked element of the LeBron James free agency saga? This season doesn't need to be his last

Maybe by the time you read this, LeBron James will have made his latest decision. For the better part of a month, he's had everyone waiting and wondering about where he'll end up next. So it goes. So it continues. 

James recently acknowledged -- or at least briefly nodded in that direction -- that his latest free agency extravaganza has stretched on long enough that his captive audience is starting to get antsy. "I won't hold you up too much longer," he said at Fanatics Fest in New York. That was last week. And yet here we all are, still being held up. 

According to James's agent, Rich Paul, that's just how these things go, and oh well. On Tuesday, mere days after James hinted that a decision would be coming sooner than later, Paul went on his podcast with Max Kellerman yet again to explain that no one can expedite the situation -- not even commissioner Adam Silver, who said he'd really like James to get on with it so the league can move on to trivial matters like making the schedule. The highlight of the conversation was Paul reiterating that "you can't rush it" when it comes to James finally making a call and then underlining that sentiment and putting it in bold with "we're not going to be rushed."

Message more than received. At some point, when he's done not being rushed, James will pick a team and sign on for his 24th season. The Heat, Cavaliers and 76ers are rumored to be under heavy consideration for James, who has already logged more years than anyone in NBA history. But apart from which jersey he puts on next, the biggest lingering question is how many seasons he might tack on after this one. 

Because if the thinking is that this will be his last season, we all might want to think again. 

LeBron James rumors: Rich Paul says free agency decision 'is not going to be rushed'

Robby Kalland

Does LeBron want to play 25 NBA seasons?

Somewhat lost in the unending speculation about where James, 41, will play this upcoming season were his remarks about how much longer he'll play before he finally retires. On one of his many panel discussions last week, he ruminated about the back end of his career. It sounded a lot like he was at least considering an extension that would keep him around longer than anticipated.

"When I'm done," James said, "I'll be 24, 25 years in... 26 years? Who knows, whatever when I'm done." 

Who knows, indeed. James mentioned the documentary he's been not-so-secretly filming about his career. That will be a must-watch regardless of when he ultimately calls it quits, but the how is another matter entirely. For someone who's so acutely aware of storylines, he's surely thinking about the best possible coda to his basketball story. 

Paul insisted that James' latest decision can't be rushed, but you could really spin that out and extend it to his overarching time in basketball. It feels like so many media members and fans have been waiting for him to wrap it up for a while now. That's understandable in a way. By the traditional NBA actuarial table, he's well past his expiration date. 

But James has long defied tradition. Why are some people so eager to push him out when he seems so keen to stick around? Why shouldn't he keep playing -- not just this coming season but beyond?

James had the lowest usage rate of his career in his final season with the Lakers, and yet he proved once more that he still has plenty to offer. While his historic streak of 21 straight All-NBA selections was snapped, he still made his 22nd All-Star team. As the third option for the first time in his life, he watched Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves lead the way while he morphed into one of the best supporting cast members in the league. And when Dončić and Reaves suffered late-season injuries, James was tasked with essentially single-handedly bootstrapping a bunch of bit parts — most of whom were subsequently cast off by the organization this offseason for much-needed upgrades — into a first-round win over the Houston Rockets. 

James isn't the dominant, undeniable force he was for most of his career, but it's pretty plain that he remains a high-level talent with lots to contribute. Which is why we're all in this holding pattern in the first place and at least five franchises are hoping he'll pick them. 

Add all that up and there's at least a chance we could be right back here again next summer. James recently said he still wants to "compete at a high level." Leaving the door open to playing beyond this season gives him options on that front. He could take a big swing in the short term and sign on with the Warriors, 76ers or Timberwolves -- three of the intriguing but longer shots that remain on Paul's white board -- then become a free agent again and opt to do the final season-long farewell tour in Cleveland, complete with all the pomp and pageantry that everyone anticipates he wants. 

Playing (at least) a quarter-century in the NBA has an indisputable heft to it, and it would add one more all-but-unattainable record to James' already long list of record-book entries, not to mention giving him such a huge cushion as the league's all-time leading scorer that anyone trying to chase him would surely exhaust their own career before getting anywhere close. 

That bigger picture and his full legacy are what too many people have perhaps overlooked while obsessing over James's next team. While so many of us remain focused on the pending (and hopefully imminent) decision, he keeps talking about how "the process is what's most important, because if you just fully immerse yourself in that, then the outcome will take care of itself."

As Paul put it, you can't rush these things. Certainly not now. Maybe not next offseason or thereafter, either.