Haynes: Lakers expected to talk with LeBron James soon

There has reportedly been little communication between the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James‘ camp ever since the team was swept in the second round of the NBA playoffs by the Oklahoma City Thunder. James said on an episode of his “Mind the Game” podcast that he will take his time when it comes to making a decision in free agency this summer, and he implied that a decision may not come until perhaps August.

If he doesn’t retire but wants to leave the Lakers, his options will reportedly be to join either the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Golden State Warriors, and the Miami Heat could be looming as a dark horse candidate. In recent days and weeks, the Warriors have seemingly become a very real threat to nab James, especially after a report on Sunday that they will try to trade for Anthony Davis, James’ former co-superstar on the Lakers.

With Golden State’s pursuit of the NBA’s all-time leading scorer getting serious, the Lakers may soon have a conversation with James about his immediate basketball future, per insider Chris Haynes.

“LeBron James and Los Angeles Lakers still have yet to have a conversation regarding his future but that’s expected to change in light of Golden State Warriors’ strategic maneuvering to position themselves as a landing spot, sources tell me.”

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“LeBron James and Los Angeles Lakers still have yet to have a conversation regarding his future but that’s expected to change in light of Golden State Warriors’ strategic maneuvering to position themselves as a landing spot, sources tell me.”

James, of course, has spent eight seasons with the Lakers, and while many fans view that time as an overall disappointment, he and Davis did bring the franchise an NBA championship in 2020. The franchise is now led by Luka Doncic, and with Austin Reaves blossoming into an All-Star-caliber player, James willingly accepted a new role as his team’s third scoring option this season.

He may not be able to sustain elite-level play as much as he could just a few years ago. But he still averaged 20.9 points on 51.5% shooting, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists a game during the regular season, and after Doncic suffered a hamstring strain on April 2, he increased his scoring the rest of the way. The thinking around the league is that he has one and perhaps two more high-level seasons left in him.

This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Haynes: Lakers expected to talk with LeBron James soon