With LeBron James expected to return, the Lakers need to provide him with significant roster upgrades.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ 2024 season is off to an encouraging start.

They hired a bright young coach in JJ Redick. They took promising top-10 player Dalton Knecht with the 17th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. They made history by teaming LeBron James with his eldest son, Bronny James, with their 55th pick. D’Angelo Russell, perhaps the biggest domino of the postseason, opted to join, giving them a mid-sized expiring contract to potentially trade.

Then, on Saturday, approximately five hours before the 5 p.m. (ET) deadline, LeBron James decided to opt out of his contract with the intention of re-signing with the Lakers, according to The athleteShams Al Sharaniya. The athlete It was previously reported that the Lakers wanted James back and were open to offering any type of contract they preferred.

James’ decision to leave the league is another win for the Lakers, who could save at least $1.5 million from their budget by not exercising his $51.4 million player option for next season. (The tradeoff for James is that he is eligible to add a no-trade clause to his contract, which would allow him to control his future.)

James may be willing to accept a larger pay cut on top of that if he allows the Lakers to open up the non-taxpayer mid-level exception (worth roughly $12.9 million) to the right types of players, according to Bleacher Report. James’ agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, told ESPN that his client would only be willing to take a discount for an “impact player,” with James Harden, Klay Thompson and Jonas Valanciunas being reported names that fit the bill. Excluding the non-taxpayer mid-level would be a significant pay cut for Harden and Thompson, in particular.

However, there is a mutual interest between the Lakers and Thompson, as well The athleteCharania and Anthony Slater were the first to report this.

Thompson, a Southern California native, is the son of Michael Thompson, who played for the Showtime Lakers from 1987 to 1991 and is the team’s current radio commentator. The younger Thompson, 34, is a four-time NBA champion and one of the greatest shooters of all time. Thompson spent his 13 professional seasons with the Golden State Warriors, but the relationship has deteriorated to the point where Thompson will likely leave. The Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers are all seeking him.

If James takes the Lakers’ deduction to reach the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception, the Lakers would be locked into the $178.7 million first-round cut. That means James would have to take a cut of more than $16 million with his starting salary of just over $33 million for the 2024-25 season. The most likely scenario for a salary cut is for James to sign a two-year contract with a player option for 2025-26, allowing him to opt out in 2025 and re-sign for more money, according to league sources. The Lakers could also make a smaller salary trade (or two) to create more financial wiggle room and allow James to take a smaller cut.

If the Lakers are unsuccessful in signing a star or high-profile starter with the non-taxed mid-level exception, James will sign to the max, according to ESPN. If LeBron re-signs at his maximum salary for 2024-25 (about $49.9 million), the Lakers would have about $182.3 million in committed salary. That leaves them $8 million under the second apron ($189.5 million). James also wants to resolve his contract before he begins training at the U.S. Olympic men’s basketball camp on July 6 in Las Vegas.

Regardless of what happens with James, the Lakers are in a good position to upgrade their roster if they so choose. The proverbial ball is in their court as to how the rest of this season unfolds.

Earlier this week, Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka tempered expectations — twice — by saying trades had become more difficult to implement under the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement. On the face of it, this appears to be true, given the new punitive restrictions imposed on the first and second stands.

At the same time, the exchange activity over the past week, especially near the top of the Western Conference, paints a different reality. In that time, the Oklahoma City Thunder traded outfielder Alex Caruso, the Minnesota Timberwolves traded No. 8 pick Rob Dillingham, the Denver Nuggets traded DA Ron Holmes II and traded up Reggie Jackson to try to retain Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and the Dallas Mavericks traded away Tim Hardaway Jr. so they can keep starter Derrick Jones Jr. (or sign Thompson) and the New Orleans Pelicans made a smart deal to land former Lakers target Dejounte Murray.

The rest of the West is looking for ways to make deals that improve their rosters or serve as a precursor to other moves. Now the Lakers have to do the same.

They have the assets to make a notable trade. Russell’s $18.7 million contract gives them a level of flexibility in terms of the types of players they can pursue. Add one or both of their future first-round picks, up to three draft picks and mid-range salaries for Rui Hachimura, Jared Vanderbilt and/or Gabe Vincent, and the Lakers could be in the conversation for almost anything from a high-end star (and even some low-end stars). And that’s, again, before we factor in the potential addition of Thompson or another high-impact player to the non-taxpayer mid-level exception.

In terms of trades, it seems unlikely that the Lakers would get a third star in a deal, unless an unexpected star secretly becomes available. Donovan Mitchell is reportedly likely to sign a contract extension with Cleveland, which could rule him out. Trae Young’s switch from Klutch Sports to CAA also makes a trade to the Lakers less likely, as is the case with The athlete This has been reported previously. Murray is now in New Orleans and out of the lineup. Darius Garland may become available, but he’s a clear step down from Mitchell and Young’s star caliber.

However, there are potentially good options. Wings such as Portland’s Jeremy Grant, former Lakers player Kyle Kuzma, and Nets duo Dorian Finney-Smith and Cam Johnson are expected to be available on the trade market, according to league sources. They’re not the biggest needle movers, but any of these four players would bolster the Lakers’ perimeter defense and front-line size and/or court space. For his part, Grant will check all these boxes; He quietly shot 40 percent on threes in two straight seasons in Portland.

The Lakers’ roster, in its current form, is not good enough to make it out of the Western Conference. They can win a round and maybe even two if the league ends up their way, but they have a lot of holes compared to the rest of the top teams in the West, especially on the wings. Their perimeter size, defense, overall speed, and physical strength are inadequate compared to their opponents. James and Davis recently announced that they believe this roster needs upgrades.

The Timberwolves, Thunder, Mavericks and Pelicans all have better rosters than the ones they finished with last season. Denver’s position may change if it loses Caldwell-Pope in free agency and the Clippers would likely regress if they lose Paul George, but the more important point is that the rest of the West is regrouping, which could create a bigger gap between them and the Lakers. If the Lakers are as serious about competing for championships with James and Davis as they claim, they need to bolster this supporting cast.

The most pressing complication to this effort is the roster crisis the Lakers face. Assuming LeBron James re-signs, they will have 14 players under contract after selecting Russell, Christian Wood, Jackson Hayes and Cam Reddish and drafting Kenshet and Bronny James. And that’s before taking into account other free agents (Max Christie, Taurean Prince, Spencer Dinwiddie) or any potential free agents.

Team sources confirmed that the Lakers have made a qualifying offer to Christie to officially make him a restricted free agent. The athlete. The front office wants to keep Christie and envision him as a rotation player next season, according to those sources. However, the Lakers would need to come up with additional money and a roster spot to sign Christie and another player with the non-taxpayer mid-level exception.

Had Russell opted out, the Lakers would have fewer options on the trade market. But with his choice, James was interested in taking a pay cut for the right free agent and the Lakers are armed with several mid-sized draft picks, two first-round picks and multiple trades to trade, there’s no excuse for Los Angeles not to significantly improve its roster with a big move or two over the next few days.

(Top photo: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)