The most-likely scenario, according to Dan Woike and Joe Vardon of The Athletic, is James stays put and the Lakers see how far they can get next season with a core of James, Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and Rui Hachimura, plus free-agent additions Deandre Ayton and Jake LaRavia.

A recent ESPN report claimed that LeBron James wasn't notified of the sale of a majority stake of the Lakers, but that report has been updated.

ESPN Facing Backlash After Changing LeBron James, Luka Doncic Report originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

"I think we have to start thinking that this could be his last year in the league," ESPN's Dave McMenamin said. "Rich Paul [James' agent] told me there was no extension talk, because they didn't ask for an extension.

According to ESPN, there was a series of "microaggressions" that signaled the Lakers' desire to focus on Luka Doncic over LeBron James.

Iman Shumpert echoes Richard Jefferson's sentiment about the pressure of playing with LeBron James. Shumpert reveals the 'win-now' mindset demanded by James's teams was difficult, especially early in his career.