Like sharks sensing a presence in the water, Rich Paul's cryptic statement that accompanied LeBron James' decision to opt in to his $52.6 million salary for next season led some teams to call the Los Angeles Lakers about the four-time NBA MVP's availability.

LeBron opted into his final year with the Lakers, but could a midseason split happen? More Videos. Ace Bailey selected No. 5 by the Utah Jazz

Throughout the course of the NBA offseason thus far, the future of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has become very cloudy. While he decided to pick up his $52.6 million player option to remain with the team,

Lakers assistant coach Greg St. Jean has joined the Slovenia coaching staff as an assistant coach for the tournament. It will give Los Angeles a daily presence with Luka during the summer.

Conversely, while James' future in L.A. still remains up in the air, it's expected that Doncic will re-sign with the team, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin. The Lakers can offer Doncic a four-year, $229 million extension on Aug. 2, or he can sign a three-year, $165 million extension with a 2028 player option.

Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers are coming off a 1st-round exit, and next season will be Luka’s first full season with the Lakers. Jason McIntyre says that the Lakers will be fine with Luka taking charge.

To that end, there is a potential trade target to keep a close eye on. Dorian Finney-Smith left the Lakers to sign a four-year, $53 million contract with the Houston Rockets. Could the two teams work out some kind of a sign-and-trade that would send a player back to Los Angeles?

According to Fred Katz of The Athletic, the Lakers could be involved in a seven-team trade surrounding future Hall of Famer and 15-time Al-Star Kevin Durant. Among the teams that could potentially be involved are the Houston Rockets,