Source close to LeBron James: 'He loves it in L.A.'

To paraphrase a lyric from a famous song by the legendary punk rock group The Clash, the biggest question concerning the Los Angeles Lakers is, should LeBron James stay, or should he go? The answer will, to a large extent, dictate the direction in which the Lakers will head.

If he leaves, they will have substantially more salary cap space available, but they will have to replace his ball-handling, facilitating, pace creation, scoring and rebounding. If he stays, they will have to balance paying him enough money and leaving enough cap flexibility to address their weaknesses.

There are some signs that, at the very least, both sides want to stick together. According to a recent report in The Athletic, James and the Lakers are interested in continuing their partnership. An ESPN article by Dave McMenamin indicated that James has a "great" relationship with coach JJ Redick and that the ball may be in the Lakers' court to a certain extent when it comes to their chances of keeping the four-time MVP.

He will almost certainly have to take a sizable pay cut due to the realities of the NBA's hard salary cap, and the question could be how much he demands and how much the Lakers will offer him.

"A source familiar with James' thinking told ESPN that the Lakers' approach in how they show their interest in retaining him will be a factor, beyond the simple dollar amount," McMenamin wrote.

"'The Lakers can't just offer James a number. They have to offer a why behind that number,' an agent who does not rep James but has had clients on L.A.'s roster during James' tenure, told ESPN. 'Their plan for any discount would have to be coherent.'"

But perhaps the best sign for the Lakers is what one source recently told ESPN.