The Lakers know that someday — soon — there will be life after LeBron James. But Los Angeles would like to postpone that inevitability as long as it can, in order to stand a chance at catching the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA‘s loaded Western Conference.

As ever, James is in control of his playing future, and the 39-year-old is poised to decline his player option for next season in order to hit the free agent market in July. It is expected that the Lakers will eventually re-sign the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, but James will not return without some concessions from Los Angeles — which might include the franchise hiring his preferred replacement for head coach Darvin Ham.

Did LeBron seal Ham’s fate?

Former player and current analyst J.J. Redick remains the betting favorite to replace Ham as the Lakers’ next head coach. As the speculation intensifies that Los Angeles will appoint the 39-year-old to be its 29th head coach after the 2024 NBA Finals, fans are wondering just how long this move has been in the offing.

Redick and James have a podcast together, “Mind the Game,” and a clip from a May episode is making the rounds again in light of the Lakers’ intensifying coaching search. In the episode, Redick asked James if “any (Lakers) coach, front office person, analytics person on staff” had ever discussed his shot profile with him.

In a damning indictment of Ham, James responded “f*** no.” Ham was fired two days after the episode was released.

With some in Lakerland already touting Redick as a new Pat Riley, the former sharpshooter’s line of questioning for LeBron could be interpreted as an indicator as to how he will approach remaking one of the NBA’s most historic teams — one that last won a title after a full 82-game season in 2010. And seeing as the pair has a notable rapport on “Mind the Game,” it feels like it is just a matter of time until the Lakers make Redick’s hire official — perhaps acquiescing to what LeBron has wanted all along.