LeBron James’ time at the Los Angeles Lakers has certainly seen some ups and downs.

When he first joined the franchise in 2018, they went on to miss the playoffs, but the very next season won the NBA Championship with the acquisition of Anthony Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans.

In 2021 the Lakers finished in the Western Conference seventh seed and qualified for the playoffs through the play-in tournament before being eliminated by eventual Western Conference Champions the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs.

Last season Los Angeles hit a new low as they missed out on playoff contention entirely with an 11th-placed finish in the West.

This has led to plenty of trade speculation, mainly around last season’s marquee signing, Russell Westbrook.

On top of this, LeBron James is about to enter the final year of his contract with the Lakers and has recently begun negotiations with the franchise about extending his deal.

ESPN’s Dave McMenamin has reportedly spoken to James’ agent Rich Paul who has described negotiations between the two parties as productive.

“James and Paul met with Lakers vice president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka as well as new Lakers coach Darvin Ham in the war room at the Lakers’ practice facility in El Segundo, California, on Thursday,” said McMenamin.

“It was the first day James was eligible to sign a two-year, $97.1 million contract extension with the Lakers.

“Paul told ESPN he expects both sides to continue a dialogue moving forward.

“It is possible James could seek a one-year extension, worth $47 million for the 2023-24 season, with an additional year with a player option for 2024-25.”

James could decide to seek this deal as his son Bronny is eligible to play in the NBA from 2024, meaning he could be waiting to see where he ends up heading in the NBA draft before making any long-term commitments.

The Lakers are currently favoured to make the playoffs, and punters have them as an outside chance of winning the NBA Championship in 2023 as James enters what could be his last season for the franchise.