LeBron James holds all the cards — for his future and for that of the Lakers. What will he decide to do in free agency?

Denver Nuggets v Los Angeles Lakers – Game Four / Ronald Martinez/GettyImages

With Dan Hurley opting to stay at Connecticut to chase a three-peat over the glitz and glamor of Los Angeles, all eyes in the City of Angels now turn to one man — LeBron James.

While James is reportedly “very happy” being a Laker, the four-time NBA champion must consider whether the organization still has the means to be an immediate contender.

James will have plenty of options this offseason. The Lakers have made it clear that they want him back and are willing to pay up to the “maximum three-year, $164 million extension they can offer.”

In the short term, James also has a $51.42 million player option that he has until June 29 to opt into.

According to Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo Sports, “[LeBron] can opt-out and re-sign in L.A. for either the short- or long-term, starting at a slightly lower salary ($49.99 million). He can sign anywhere else for anything from a maximum starting salary ($49.35 million) to the veteran minimum ($3.31 million).”

With limited means to make a splashy trade this offseason, one cannot fault LeBron for contemplating his future.

Would he be a good fit in Philadelphia (who could create more than $60 million in cap space)? Could he force a trade back to Miami or Cleveland and help be the final piece? Could a team like Dallas or Phoenix draft Bronny and hope to lure LeBron as well?

The options are endless. And If we know anything about James, things will remain quiet until he no longer wants them to be.

LeBron James’ free agency contract projection

While the possibilities of LeBron teaming up with Luka in Dallas or Embiid in Philadelphia sound intriguing, James will likely stay in Los Angeles. He seems happy and is already preparing for the next stage of his career with SpringHill Company — the production company that he founded in 2020 with Maverick Carter.

Additionally, the Lakers might not give James much of a choice. They can draft Bronny with one of their draft picks (No. 17 and No. 55), or trade up and snag him in the early second round (where he is primarily projected).

Of course, don’t rule out a departure for James. The man is a competitor after all. That won’t just go away into his 40s. However, it is a safer bet that he opts out to sign a bigger contract and (likely) retires a Laker.