The Los Angeles Lakers are 35-21 heading into a Western Conference showdown against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night.

The Lakers have won nine of their last 11 games and look like serious contenders in the West. While the focus is on finishing out the regular season before the postseason, questions around LeBron James’ future have been discussed.

The Athletic’s Jovan Buha talked about James’ future on his latest podcast.

He said, “My assumption right now would be that if he does take a discount, it would be similar to last season where I think there would be some type of list or some type of caliber of player. I don’t think LeBron is just going to take a willy-nilly discount,” Buha added.

“I don’t think it would be for random player X, who, on paper, makes the team a little bit better but isn’t of a certain caliber.”

Last season, James left around $3 million on the table, giving the Lakers some more wiggle room and allowing them to avoid the second tax apron.

Los Angeles tried to sign guys like DeMar DeRozan, James Harden, Jonas Valanciunas, and Klay Thompson but fell short.

That may not be the case this summer, though, as Luka Doncic is now in the fold. The duo of James and Doncic is already one of the best in the NBA.

James is still playing at an elite level at 40 years old, averaging 24.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.7 assists. Over five games with the Lakers, Doncic logs 19 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists per contest.

They have the ability to take over games and carry the team to victory on any given night. That could be very enticing to some free agents this summer. Playing for the Lakers franchise with two superstars is something players may look for.

James has a $52 million player option for the 2025-26 season. He’ll likely opt out and sign another two-year deal with a player option for the second season like he did last summer.