Today, ESPN reporters Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst wrote an article covering the current alliance trends.

Regarding the deadlock between James and the Lakers, the article is excerpted as follows:

Despite this, it is all just background, and we are still waiting for James' next moves - we have not publicly learned more about James's thoughts since Ritchie Paul made that mysterious remark to ESPN reporter Shams Charania.

The whole situation looks like a game full of passive attacks. If James chooses to jump out of his contract and become a free agent in the last year, as one team executive said, it will make the situation very complicated. However, James chose to continue to receive his salary and, equally importantly, retained his veto for the deal. Doing so seems to indicate that he is expected to spend his eighth season with the Lakers.

However, Paul's remarks leave a lot of room for interpretation. Since then, neither James, Paul nor the Lakers management, including general manager Robert Pelinka, coach JJ Redick, boss Jenny Buss or new boss Mark Walter, have made no public comments. Even the Lakers have no news of formally announcing James's options for executing the contract, and considering that James is one of the greatest players in history, this silence itself conveys a non-verbal message.

So what happens next? This is one of the hot topics in the league. While the possibility of a deal is not non-existent—nothing is impossible after Doncic’s deal—it is unlikely to happen due to James’ high salary and his veto on the deal. According to sources, several teams have tentatively asked about James's deal, but there is no actual action yet. However, this situation is definitely being closely watched.

It is not logical to buy out James' contract - even if he is willing to refund a portion of his salary. This is not the case with the Bucks facing Damian Lillard, who missed the game due to a torn left Achilles tendon. James was selected to the second team of All-A-League last season and played next to Doncic, who had not fully recovered from his form and won third in the Western Conference. What are the benefits of letting James leave?

In this alliance that is common with strange situations, few events are comparable to this one. But speculation will continue until James or the Lakers make it clear that he won't play for other teams next season.