LeBron James is used to being treated like royalty by his teams and being the focal point of every transaction made. While there hasn’t been any firm decisions or requests made by either party, neither the team nor James have denied the rumors or tried to quell their flames.

NBA offseason has been awash with activity, reshaping the basketball landscape and forever keeping fans on the edge of their seats.

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.