Baxter Holmes’ story on the Los Angeles Lakers had two parts. First, the Buss family drama, which many readers didn’t care much about because the audience already knew most of it. Second, Jeanie Buss’ true feelings about LeBron James and her frustration with his attitude. Well, this stirred too many pots in the NBA world. James later clearly said he doesn’t care about the articles. But… what if the story doesn’t concern him because he already knew about it?

“I tend to think that he knew all this already,” Insider Sam Amick said on Run It Back. “Does it change when it’s louder? Maybe. It’s an annoyance. It’s an irritation.”

Amick reviewed the James-Buss segment of Holmes’ story several times and wrote about it. Therefore, he describes it “like a marriage of convenience between him (James) and the Lakers.”

Amick further explained that the 41-year-old loves Los Angeles for its market and family-friendly atmosphere, and that he has already fulfilled his core goal by winning the 2020 title. While he still wants to compete for championships, that success gave him a sense of accomplishment with the franchise. By last summer, it did not take long to realize that contract decisions exposed internal tensions and made it clear that the two parties were no longer fully aligned.

“When you don’t offer a guy who’s in the conversation for greatest player of all time any sort of extension, he had the option,” the NBA insider stated. “They basically waited to see if you want to pick up the option. They didn’t offer anything contract-wise. That told you everything you needed to know. It was Luka’s team now, and they were not interested in retaining LeBron’s $50 million salary slot.”

Last year, the Lakers traded for Luka Doncic, with a future without LeBron James in mind. Doncic isn’t the immediate plan or a solution to LA’s championship drought. He is the foundation for the years to come. James naturally won’t be around the league at that time. Therefore, the Lakers’ front office handed the Slovenian star a three-year, $165 million contract extension. Meanwhile, James settled for $52.6 million without an extension.

For the first time in his tenure with LA, James is playing on an expiring contract. He will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer. And after that?

LeBron James has three options for the future

“The reality is we’re watching the end of a relationship between LeBron James and the Lakers,” Shams Charania said on the Pat McAfee Show. “The end is near, however you wanna slice it.”

Now, Charania’s opinion doesn’t clarify whether ‘the end’ meant James leaving the Lakers or retiring from the sport. Meanwhile, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst suggested three options for James.

First, James can stay with the Lakers, protected by his no-trade clause, but only if he accepts a reduced salary. Second, James can explore a move to another NBA team, a scenario the insider labeled as “fascinating” league-wide. Third, he could retire.

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Executives across the league don’t expect James to command his previous salary again. The Lakers continue reshaping their books around Doncic, a shift that is intentional. Windhorst estimated a 33% chance that the veteran accepts a lesser contract to stay, while acknowledging the roster falls short of contention next season.Well, James and the Lakers drifted here over time, not overnight. Voices in the NBA believe the 4x NBA MVP knew everything. Yet he chose to stay. Meanwhile, Doncic symbolizes the future in LA, while James represents legacy. Therefore, every option carries weight. Stay, shift, or step away.