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The NBA on TNT is running an alternate broadcast during the Western Conference Finals. Instead of traditional play-by-play and analysis, the broadcast on truTV is conversational and there are a variety of guests.

During Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, one of the guests was Rich Paul of Klutch Sports. Paul is perhaps most famously known at LeBron James' agent, and he may have given some insight into James' initial plans for this offseason.

"LeBron is a free agent," Paul said about his most famous client. Paul then clarified that the Los Angeles Lakers have to hire who they want as their next head coach and that James has always played for whoever his coach is.

When asked by TNT's Chris Haynes to clarify if that meant it was decided that James would decline his player option for the 2024-25 season with the Lakers, Paul said that decision hadn't been made yet. James can decline his option and become a free agent. He's also eligible to pick up the option and to sign an extension.

"I don't know what he's gonna do," Paul said. "We're gonna do what we do every year. We're gonna evaluate the situation and we're gonna make the best decision."

Via NBA on TNT Alt Cast

Good riddance!

Interesting. Perhaps a plan to free up some cap space. .Lakers getting Paul George finally.

He has to opt out to get a no-trade clause

He was always planning to opt out for a longer deal. Not news here.

Wildcat wrote:He was always planning to opt out for a longer deal. Not news here.

Why does he need a long term deal at this stage of his career?

why does this particular subject keep popping up when we've already heard from all sides DEFINITIVELY about the issue

druggas wrote:Good riddance!

yes please GTFO we'd like our franchise back...

Philly should draft Bronny, lure LeBron and give the process one last year

I for one am shocked.

And he can't sign a real long-term deal at age 40, against the CBA.

It has become a beloved tradition to hear from leBron forcing himself into discussion after he got inevitably eliminated from the actual basketball contest. Wether its injury, retirement of team swaps - neither of which is real - we can almost predict it to the day and hour when his urge to see his name on the news site is becoming overwhelming. This diva will be so entertaining once he is actually retired in 5-10 years.

LesGrossman wrote:It has become a beloved tradition to hear from leBron forcing himself into discussion after he got inevitably eliminated from the actual basketball contest. Wether its injury, retirement of team swaps - neither of which is real - we can almost predict it to the day and hour when his urge to see his name on the news site is becoming overwhelming. This diva will be so entertaining once he is actually retired in 5-10 years.

Funny how he did nothing and he gets blamed for it.

If he opts out and goes to the Suns as a FA with his son it would ruin anything left in his legacy.

dirkdiggler4177 wrote:

LesGrossman wrote:It has become a beloved tradition to hear from leBron forcing himself into discussion after he got inevitably eliminated from the actual basketball contest. Wether its injury, retirement of team swaps - neither of which is real - we can almost predict it to the day and hour when his urge to see his name on the news site is becoming overwhelming. This diva will be so entertaining once he is actually retired in 5-10 years.

Funny how he did nothing and he gets blamed for it.

You are the target of his marketing, and he was obviously successful. You think its coincidence he ends up in the newsfeed. Funny.

LesGrossman wrote:

dirkdiggler4177 wrote:

LesGrossman wrote:It has become a beloved tradition to hear from leBron forcing himself into discussion after he got inevitably eliminated from the actual basketball contest. Wether its injury, retirement of team swaps - neither of which is real - we can almost predict it to the day and hour when his urge to see his name on the news site is becoming overwhelming. This diva will be so entertaining once he is actually retired in 5-10 years.

Funny how he did nothing and he gets blamed for it.

You are the target of his marketing, and he was obviously successful. You think its coincidence he ends up in the newsfeed. Funny.

it's not him, it's the media who always write about big names and LA/NY. To say you figured this out all by yourself is funny.

This is all just a ploy to get his son drafted. If he opted in no one besides the Lakers would entertain doing so.

dirkdiggler4177 wrote:

LesGrossman wrote:

dirkdiggler4177 wrote:
Funny how he did nothing and he gets blamed for it.

You are the target of his marketing, and he was obviously successful. You think its coincidence he ends up in the newsfeed. Funny.

it's not him, it's the media who always write about big names and LA/NY. To say you figured this out all by yourself is funny.

If you think it’s just the media and not lebron and his camp planting these never ending stories that conveniently seem to pop up whenever he’s not playing then we gotta a bigger problem we need to address lol.

dirkdiggler4177 wrote:

LesGrossman wrote:

dirkdiggler4177 wrote:
Funny how he did nothing and he gets blamed for it.

You are the target of his marketing, and he was obviously successful. You think its coincidence he ends up in the newsfeed. Funny.

it's not him, it's the media who always write about big names and LA/NY. To say you figured this out all by yourself is funny.

It was his agent who is basically doing the exact thing i described for him. To think Rich Paul is communicating this without LeBron knowing about it is...funny.

Call his bluff if he opt in then trade his ass, the city of LA is bigger than LeBron James and even he knows this seeing he is at the tail end of his career. The Lakers need to move on from the sideshow and start with a new direction.

Lebron eating up a huge chunk of cap space at 40yrs old is not what i had on my lakers bingo card, i wish he'd renegotiate so we can add more talent around him like Tom Brady did in his latter years or Tim Duncan did and both won titles as a result, But Bron is all about his money. But if he only realized that the superstar winners get that money back typically , brady made more than his entire career earnings after he retired because he's the winner than he is if you tally it up.