After five impressively close games, the Los Angeles Lakers season ended in the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs, downed by the reigning champion Denver Nuggets.
Now their off-season has begun, and there is only one question on everyone's minds - will LeBron return to LA?
James has been a Laker since 2018, but after what could be seen as a disappointing season, his future with the team is very much in question.
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Will LeBron James leave the Lakers?
The all-time leading point scorer in the NBA, James' tendency to move teams is well documented; the four-time MVP infamously left Cleveland for Miami via 'The Decision', which was followed by a return to Ohio, before this latest stint in Los Angeles.
While he has had success every step of the way, teams have also been acutely aware that he gives them a short leash, and it appears the Lakers could have reached the end of their time together.
Asked in a press conference following the Lakers elimination if he had played his final game for the team, James declined to answer.
"I don't have an answer ... to be honest. I haven't given it much thought," James said.
June 29 is the deadline for James to either opt into the final year of his Lakers contract, worth $51.4 million, or decline and become an unrestricted free agent, a decision he says he has not yet made.
On the latest episode of Just Bricks, hosts Josh Garlepp and Giorgio Savini discussed James' future with the Lakers, with Garlepp saying he believes the player will return to the purple and gold.
"If you're an organisational person there, you'd be like, 'Oh, just say no'," Garlepp said.
"He's always been pretty aloof, that's how we know him.
"I think he's there next year, I think he probably tries to flex his muscles, but he doesn't really have the same strength at 40 as he did at maybe 28 in both senses of the word, so I think we see him there next year."
LeBron James next destination
If James does decide he's done in Hollywood, there will be no shortage of suitors vying for his signature.
While money is obviously a factor, James' desire to win another championship will be the key motivator in his next destination if he leaves the Lakers, as well as the possibility of a future team up with son Bronny James.
He could consider another Cleveland homecoming, joining a core of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, and ending his career in storybook fashion.
Other possible options include a team-up with Joel Embiid in Philadelphia, joining the blossoming young Oklahoma City core, or a move to the Bay Area to play alongside Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors.
