If the latest rumors about James are true, the Lakers can say goodbye to this fantastic offseason

The Los Angeles Lakers have ended their playoff journey early and are now turning their focus to offseason operations, fully planning how to return to the NBA Finals. They have two stars, Luca Doncic and LeBron James, as well as potential new stars like Austin Reeves, and the foundation for building a team is quite promising.

However, the Lakers may have just received a bad news. According to NBA insider Shams Charania, LeBron is expected to execute the player option for the 2025-26 season.

From this point of view alone, this may be good news - LeBron will usher in his 23rd NBA season and his eighth season for the Lakers. But Lakers fans originally expected him to cut his salary significantly and free up more salary flexibility for the team to operate this summer. If he chooses to cut his salary, the Lakers can use the $14.1 million middle-class exception, so they have the opportunity to sign one or two players to fill the vacancy in the frontcourt.

LeBron does not cut salary, and the Lakers' recruitment plan is set, however, after LeBron executes the player option, his salary will be as high as $52.6 million next season. More importantly, his contract only ends here, which implies that the 2025-26 season may be his curtain call.

From a historical perspective, LeBron often signs "1+1" contracts, giving himself the right to break out of the contract and re-sign each year. But the choice of execution option this time seems to indicate that he does not intend to continue to compete after the 2025-26 season.

Having LeBron's last season means that the Lakers have one last chance to rush to the championship around him and Doncic. But they must solve their biggest shortcoming through creative operations this summer - the lack of starting centers.

The Lakers need to find another way to fill the inside line

There are several free agents worthy of the Lakers' attention, such as Brooke Lopez of the Milwaukee Bucks and Clint Capela of the Atlanta Hawks. Any of the two can provide the Lakers with much-needed help in the frontcourt, and if they are willing to play for Los Angeles and accept a salary cut, the Lakers can even pursue these two players at the same time. The inability to use the full middle class exception will certainly affect the signing, but the Lakers can still use the $5.6 million "tax-paying middle class" exception to sign at least one of the centers.

Overall, LeBron's execution player option ensures that he plays for the Lakers for at least another year, but that also means he won't cut his salary this summer. This almost blocks the possibility of the Lakers using full middle-class special cases, greatly limiting their space to upgrade their lineup.