LeBron James has a history of keeping his free agency decisions under wraps until July approaches. In both 2010 and 2014, he held meetings starting on July 1 and made his choices later in the month without providing any public hints. In 2018, he remained silent publicly, only announcing on July 1 that he had decided to join the Los Angeles Lakers. Now, for the first time since then, he has the opportunity to become an unrestricted free agent and potentially join a new team due to a $51.4 million player option with the Lakers.

Once again, James has chosen to keep his plans for the offseason private. However, it is worth noting that his agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, made an appearance on the TNT alt-cast for Game 2 of the Western Conference finals and referred to James as “a free agent.”

Notably, towards the end of the video, Paul refrains from outright confirming that James will opt out of the final year of his Lakers contract. When Chris Haynes presses him on this matter, Paul responds, “Chris, you know I don’t conduct my business over the air, man.” He further explains that James’ situation remains uncertain, stating, “I don’t know what he’s gonna do. We’re going to follow our usual process. We’ll assess the situation and make the best decision.”

So, what does this all imply? Clearly, these two ideas present somewhat conflicting views. If James is indeed considered a free agent, it suggests that he will decline the option. It could be interpreted as a slip by Paul, or more likely, an indication that the mere prospect of James becoming a free agent implies that he is presently treating himself as one.

In essence, this indicates that LeBron James is currently weighing his options. While returning to the Lakers remains a possibility, exploring opportunities with other teams is also on the table, although Rich Paul wouldn’t explicitly state this. Interestingly, Paul suggested in a Friday interview with Haynes that the Lakers’ primary focus should be on Anthony Davis rather than LeBron James at this juncture.

Davis has a longer contract with the Lakers, extending for four more seasons after signing an extension last offseason. In contrast, James has the option to sign for only three years in total. He could either opt-in and extend for two more years, totaling roughly $164 million, or opt out and sign a new three-year deal for approximately $162 million, which would also grant him the ability to include a no-trade clause.

James must make a decision on the player option by June 29, just three days after the 2024 NBA Draft, where his son Bronny is expected to be selected. Although James has previously expressed his intention to play with Bronny towards the end of his career, he has recently shown signs of flexibility on that stance.

Even if James is not technically a free agent, he effectively functions as one. He has the capability to terminate his contract, and while he may not be able to directly engage with teams yet, he understands that all 30 teams would be interested in acquiring him. If he is intrigued by other opportunities, he can explore them independently before deciding on his option. Ultimately, the prevailing expectation is that James will remain with the Lakers, but as long as the option to explore alternatives exists, nothing is certain.