The Los Angeles Lakers have several key decisions to make and only $52 million in cap space. Deandre Ayton exercised his player option, but there is uncertainty surrounding the futures of Marcus Smart and Rui Hachimura. All of this is tied to LeBron James and his impending free agency decision, which he has yet to communicate to the franchise.

“Here is my theory,” Lakers analyst Trevor Lane said on the Lakers Nation Podcast. “We’ve heard the Lakers losing Marcus Smart. We’ve heard the Lakers losing LeBron James. All we’ve heard from Lakers is maybe, maybe Dean Wade, Jock Landale is gonna that that’s gonna get Lakers fans really excited, right? Like Cam Johnson’s the biggest name that we’ve heard connected to the Lakers, but these are all peripheral pieces. And again, this may be hope; the only reason why we’re hearing all these peripheral pieces and not the big move is that the big move is being executed in silence.

“The big move may have some contingencies. What happens if LeBron walks away? That may trigger a contingency in which a Plan B then gets executed for the Lakers that we’re hearing about the stuff that’s on the outside, the margin type stuff. And that’s not all that inspiring because it’s not supposed to be. We’re not hearing about right now because they don’t know What’s going on with LeBron James just yet.”

With a clear need to build a championship-caliber roster around Luka Doncic, the front office appeared poised to make aggressive moves. Instead, the franchise finds itself in an unusual holding pattern. The franchise must account for LeBron’s contract decision while simultaneously evaluating the futures of players such as Marcus Smart and Rui Hachimura. Austin Reaves’ new contract provides the Lakers with temporary flexibility, but it does not completely solve the problem.

Because the Lakers hold Bird rights on Reaves, they can delay officially signing his new four-year contract until after using their available cap space. Ayton accepted his player option for $8.1 million, and now they have $52 million in cap space available. Now, LeBron James had a $52.6 million contract last year; reports suggest that his new contract could have a major pay cut, with a salary ranging between $30-$40 million.

But there is no indication that the 22x All-Star has actually entertained the idea of playing on a reduced contract. Even his agent, Rich Paul, stated the conversation about the 24th year was avoided, despite them golfing together.

Lakers start meeting All-Star target amid LeBron James’ absence

Doncic demanded an “A-list center,” and Pistons Jalen Duren fits the bill. Detroit and their star center are a “sizable distance apart in negotiations.” Since the 22-year-old is a restricted free agent, a sign-and-trade could be a real possibility. Sources around the league confirmed that the Lakers are meeting with Duren tomorrow, amid interest from the Kings.

The Pistons star will demand a salary exceeding $40 million, which means signing LeBron James won’t be feasible. The Lakers are moving so differently because LeBron James has not had a meeting with the franchise regarding his return or contract.

“And from what I have been told, LeBron has just not been available for the meeting,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on Get Up. “And you may say, well, why is that? I don’t know, Joe. I don’t know why LeBron has not been available”.

This could be the contingent Plan B, signing a center if LeBron James doesn’t return.