After the Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs by the Denver Nuggets in Game 5, LeBron James was asked to consider whether he may have played his final game with the franchise.

"I'm not going to answer that," replied James.

James has until June 29 to either opt into the final year of his contract with the Lakers for $51.4 million or become an unrestricted free agent.

The Lakers will try to retain James and are prepared to even offer him a three-year, $164 million deal.

James was also asked how he will approach his decision about playing next season.

"I don't have an answer ... to be honest. I haven't given it much thought," said James.

The Los Angeles Lakers are "very open" to adding Bronny James to their roster next season and could potentially draft him.

Bronny James is evaluating his options after his freshman season at USC, which includes declaring for the draft or transferring to another school. Bronny was a projected lottery pick in the 2024 NBA draft before his cardiac arrest and disappointing freshman season with USC. Bronny was moved by ESPN from the lottery in 2024 to the second round in 2025 in their mock drafts.

LeBron James is expected to be a free agent this offseason and has spoken about his desire to play on the same team as Bronny in the NBA.

LeBron James is expected to play up to two more seasons in the NBA, sources told Shams Charania, Jovan Buha, and Sam Amick of The Athletic.

The Lakers are open to offering James any deal to return, including a three-year, $164 million max extension.

James has a $51.4 million player option for next season.

The Lakers are also open to the idea of drafting Bronny James.

James' relationship with Jeanie Buss is described as being "better than ever."

Darvin Ham's future as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers is in "serious peril," according to Shams Charania, Jovan Buha and Sam Amick of The Athletic.

Some close to the organization have indicated that Ham's return next season is highly unlikely.

The Lakers plan to reassess the season over the next couple of days before reaching a decision.

Ham made several decisions throughout the season that caused doubt within the Lakers. For example, Ham benching Austin Reaves and D'Angelo Russell during a losing streak after the In-Season Tournament did not sit well with players nor the organization.

There was a sense that Taurean Prince and Cam Reddish were allowed to play through their mistakes, unlike Reaves, Russell, and Rui Hachimura.

Many within the Lakers felt that Ham rarely blamed his own schemes, game plans, or rotations.

Ham signed a four-year contract with the Lakers in 2022.

Los Angeles Lakers big man Christian Wood is available to play in Game 4. Wood hasn't played since February 14, due to a knee injury.

Los Angeles had hoped he might be available for Game 3, but Wood wasn't quite ready to return. The Lakers are down 3-0 against the Denver Nuggets entering Game 4 of the first round.

In his first season with Los Angeles, Wood averaged 6.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in 17.4 minutes per game. Wood mostly came off the bench, starting in just one of his 50 appearances for the Lakers.

Game 2 between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Denver Nuggets averaged 4.25 million viewers across TNT and truTV.

The number is down 2% from last year's Warriors-Kings matchup.

The lead-in game between the Sixers and Knicks averaged 3.47 million viewers.

This year's NBA playoffs is averaging 3.45 million viewers. 

Jarred Vanderbilt is looking to return to the Los Angeles Lakers lineup for Game 3 on Thursday, sources told ESPN.

Vanderbilt, who is out due to a right foot sprain, has been increasing his workout intensity over the last two weeks.

Vanderbilt and Christian Wood have not been cleared for Game 3, though the Lakers are hopeful that both will be back for Thursday.

The Lakers are down 2-0 in the series. 

Jarred Vanderbilt is still day-to-day as he recovers from a foot sprain, according to Darvin Ham.

Vanderbilt, who wore a walking boot on Friday, has been out since February 1 with the injury.

Ham said last week that Vanderbilt's recovery was "going according to plan."

The team also announced that Christian Wood will be available in Game 3. 

The Los Angeles Lakers will have some additional frontcourt help coming in their first round series against the Denver Nuggets. Christian Wood will be available to play for the Lakers when the series shifts to Los Angeles for Game 3.

Wood hasn't played since before the All-Star break. He had an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee in mid-March.

Prior to getting hurt, Wood had appeared in 50 games. He averaged 6.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in 17.4 minutes per game off the Lakers bench.

Los Angeles lost Game 1 at Denver on Saturday. Game 2 will be played on Monday, then Game 3 will be in LA on Thursday, April 25.

Tuesday night's Play-In Tournament game between the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings averaged 4.05 million viewers across TNT and truTV.

It is the second most-watched game in the history of the Play-In Tournament.

The Lakers' win over the Pelicans earlier in the night averaged 3.91 million viewers.

The two games are the fourth and sixth most-watched of this season.