"LeBron is still averaging 20 points and shooting 50%. …

There are three rational paths for James after this season, league executives told ESPN. Stay with the Lakers at a significantly reduced salary. (This would be "the Dirk option," as one executive said, referencing Dirk Nowitzki's large pay cuts in his later years to stay with the Dallas Mavericks and help them help build out the roster). Leave for another team in free agency. Retire. "LeBron is still averaging 20 points and shooting 50%. He can help a team win," one head coach said. "You just have to find the right situation."

ESPN