LeBron James, Lakers Free Agency Timeline Explained by Brian Windhorst amid NBA Rumors

On the heels of LeBron James discussing his offseason plans on Thursday, ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst provided some insight Friday into how James' free agency could play out, particularly in relation to the Los Angeles Lakers.

During an appearance on Get Up (beginning at the 30-second mark), Windhorst explained James situation and how the dynamic between him and the Lakers will have to play out:

"He can do whatever," Windhorst said. "If he wants to wait until the day before the season starts, there will be teams lined up to sign him. But if he wants to get a big-dollar contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, he's gonna have about a month."

Windhorst went on to explain that since James' salary cap hit of $58 million will remain on their books until the Lakers re-sign him or renounce his rights, L.A. will need an answer from LeBron in the near future so it can reallocate that money should James decide to go elsewhere.

Additionally, Windhorst gave his take on how he believes negotiations will have to go between James and the Lakers if the Lakers do in fact want to re-sign him.

"They need to come to LeBron and say, 'LeBron, here's what we wanna offer and why,'" Windhorst said. "It's not just about the actual dollars. It's about the respect that you want to show and to say, 'Listen, if we want you to take a pay cut to whatever it's gonna be, this is what we're gonna do with the money. We're gonna chase these guys.'"

Windhorst expressed his belief that the Lakers will have to approach James rather than the other way around if a deal is going to get done between the two sides.

While discussing his future during an episode of his Mind the Game podcast on Thursday (h/t ESPN's Dave McMenamin), James suggested he is in no hurry to make a decision on what he will do next season.

"I'm still in the moment of just taking my time," James said. "I haven't even really thought about it too much. Obviously, I understand that I'm a free agent and I can control my own destiny—being here with [the Lakers] for the foreseeable future or if it's going somewhere else.

"But like, I haven't even really got to that point. I haven't even taken my family vacation yet, which is going to happen after Memorial Day. That's kind of the thing at the forefront of my mind. But I think at some point in June, late June, as July rolls around—free agency starts to get going and as July rolls around and maybe into August, we'll start to kind of get a feel of what my future may look like."

Windhorst's comments suggest the Lakers won't wait until August to get a deal done with James, which means they may have to reach out to him sooner than later.

The 41-year-old James has spent the past eight seasons with the Lakers, and while he is still a highly productive player given his age, his 20.9 points per game last season matched a career low initially set during his rookie campaign.

James would perhaps have to accept being the No. 3 scoring option once again behind Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves next season if he re-signs with the Lakers, which is something that could weigh heavily on his decision.

Since next season could be the final one of his illustrious career, going to a team with a legitimate chance to win a championship will be a main factor in James' next move as well.