LeBron James could determine his Lakers future before the draft even begins

There is still over a month left until the official start of NBA free agency, so there is no rush for LeBron James to decide whether he will continue playing and, if so, with the Los Angeles Lakers. If what Brian Windhorst believes comes true, though, it won't take the superstar that long to determine what's next:

"I think by the draft, which is one month from today, we will know whether LeBron will be a Laker or not."

The sooner the Lakers know what LeBron wants to do, the better, as it will allow them to sort out the rest of their offseason (he's not a top priority, but he's still important). It'd be great to have clarity by the draft.

While what Windhorst said may not come true, he's been around James and the league for a long while now, so it's more of an educated guess than just a guess.

LeBron could make decision on his future sooner than expected

Los Angeles' season ended 11 days ago, and everyone knew that it would take more time than that for LeBron to decide. On Thursday's episode of the Mind the Game podcast, James said he's "taking my time" and hasn't "even really thought" much about the future. He added that what is on his mind right now is his upcoming family vacation after Memorial Day weekend.

What he said next, though, made it sound like it could take another couple of months before he determines what his next move will be:

“I think at some point, up in June, late June, as July rolls around, free agency gets going. As July’s rolling maybe into August, we start to kind of get a feel of what my future may look like, if it’s continuing to play the game that I love— which I know I can still give so much to the game, and play at a high level— or if it’s not. But I have not gotten to that point yet.”

Of course, LeBron isn't on some deadline, and he has certainly deserved the right to take his time, but the Lakers shouldn't want to wait around until late July or August to know what's going on.

LeBron figuring things out by the draft would help the Lakers

Los Angeles' main free agency priority is re-signing Austin Reaves, so that should be the first offseason domino to fall.

Along with James, the Lakers will need to decide whether to bring back Luke Kennard and Rui Hachimura, both of whom will be unrestricted free agents. If LeBron continues playing, and it's with Los Angeles, his next contract will be a factor in what the team can do.

He won't make another annual salary of $52.6 million, but he also isn't a veteran's minimum player, either. The Lakers are one of a few teams projected to have cap space this summer, but their world doesn't revolve around LeBron anymore. They want to build the roster around Luka Dončić, and have already said they want to re-sign James, but waiting months to see if that happens wouldn't be ideal.

So, if LA only has to wait another month or so, that would be great. Now, let's hope LeBron abides by that timeline.

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