Coming off his 21st NBA season, James is expected to play up to two more NBA seasons, one source briefed on his thinking said. He has a $51.4 million player option for the 2024-25 season. Two more seasons would take James through the 2026 All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles.

It’s anticipated James, ahead of his June 29 option date, will want to see how the Lakers manage the offseason and their approach to building the roster around him and Davis. Both routes — opting in and opting out — are on the table for James. He places importance on having comprehensive and well-rounded depth around him, which could mean the Lakers explore trades in the lead-up to that player option, sandwiched between the NBA Draft, which begins June 26, and the opening of free agency on June 30.

What’s more, team sources say the Lakers are very open to the prospect of helping LeBron fulfill his dream of playing with his son Bronny by potentially drafting him.

“My last year will be played with my son,” James famously told The Athletic in 2022.

LeBron changed his message in January 2023, telling ESPN that he would consider that family goal fulfilled so long as he shared the floor with Bronny “either in the same uniform or a matchup against him.” In the wake of Bronny’s cardiac arrest episode in July, he had an uneven freshman season at USC. His hard-to-handicap NBA future remains a topic of great debate, but rival teams believe it is not a matter of if he is a draft pick, but whether the selection range, location and fit are enough to keep him in the draft.

As for his father, the Lakers want him back — badly — and the potential of the 39-year-old LeBron returning remains the most likely scenario. Lakers owner Jeanie Buss, in particular, believes James’ return is of paramount importance to their plan. This franchise has always been buoyed by the stars, and James’ ability to still play at an elite level at his advanced age has only strengthened the desire to have him retire in a purple-and-gold jersey one day. And after six seasons together in which there has been no shortage of ups and downs, Buss and James, team sources say, have a relationship that is better than ever these days.

The Lakers, team sources say, would be open to discussing any deal that involves James coming back — including even the maximum three-year, $164 million extension they can offer. Playing through a three-year deal would put him at 42 by the end of the contract.

“He’s not the problem here,” one high-ranking Lakers official said of LeBron.

He is, in fact, still seen as a major part of the solution.

It bodes well for the Lakers that the relationship with James has stabilized in recent months. That didn’t appear to be the case in late January, when the Lakers fell below .500 with a loss to Atlanta and James’ hourglass tweet sparked so much speculation about his frustrations. Then, there were the series of pro-New York Knicks signals he sent out just days later during the team’s East Coast trip, all reminders that the leverage was his come summertime.

But when James chose not to engage with the Warriors at the trade deadline in February, with Golden State owner Joe Lacob known to have opened that door during a trade discussion that ESPN first reported, the Lakers saw it as a sign that he truly valued being part of the Lakers organization. A month later, James’ cordial courtside visit with Buss and her longtime Lakers partner Linda Rambis was as good a sign as any that all was well in their relationship. But James has made a habit of keeping his options open for most of his storied career, and this time around will be no different.

“I just want to get home to the family,” James said after Game 5 when asked about his future. “Honestly, one of my boys is trying to decide if he’s going to enter the draft or go back to school. Another kid is playing AAU ball right now. My daughter is playing volleyball. My wife is doing so many great things. So it’s about family right now. Then, in a couple months, I got to go to Vegas for training camp. So I need to rest my body for (USA Basketball).”

“I’m not gonna answer that,” he said later when asked if he thought Game 5 might have been his last game as a Laker. “I appreciate it.”

The Lakers are expected to be aggressive in the market, with Atlanta’s Trae Young one of the more intriguing names out there. The Lakers’ room could be split on him as they try to make the most of this precious time in which James and Davis are still playing at an elite level. He’ll be one of many names that is expected to be discussed.

The team needs backcourt help, particularly after Russell’s up-and-down play against the Nuggets for a second consecutive season. His performance leaves a significant question about his likelihood to return, even with an $18.7 million player option for next season. The Lakers will be armed with three first-round draft picks eligible to be moved on draft night, plus tradeable contracts tied to Reaves, who has strong value across the league, and Hachimura.