The Los Angeles Lakers' tumultuous 2023-24 season came to a fitting end on Monday night: with another gutting loss to the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Playoffs.

Minutes after Jamal Murray's second game-winner of the series — as the Lakers rushed through exit interviews to avoid questions related to ready-to-go exposés — Darvin Ham and various players lamented injuries, inconsistency, and their first-round opponent.

LeBron James was non-committal about his future. Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves expressed their heartfelt desire to keep the gang together. D'Angelo Russell, following his third subpar showing in five playoff games, congratulated himself for a “hell of a year.”

For yet another offseason, Jeanie Buss, Rob Pelinka, and the Lakers will be faced with questions about LeBron's situation, Ham's employment, balancing the present and future, whether to prioritize stars or continuity, and how to approach the 2024 NBA Draft and free agency.

Here's a basic primer as the Lakers head to Cancun.

Lakers offseason: 5 biggest questions

5. Will D’Angelo Russell pick up his option?

D'Angelo Russell proved his value as a regular-season innings-eater, averaging 20.8 points on 43.0% 3-point shooting and 6.0 assists in the final 41 games, after being re-inserted into the starting lineup.

On the other hand, he underwhelmed in the playoffs against the Nuggets for the second year in a row. In 20 playoff games with the Lakers, Russell has averaged 13.5 points and 4.5 assists on .414/.313/.750 shooting splits. He's been borderline unplayable in seven of their nine playoff matchups with Denver.

Yet, at his exit interview, he seemed to imply that he'll opt out of his $18.7 million player option for 2024-25, based on the “leverage” he believes he accrued from his impressive regular season.

If that's the case, the Lakers will likely explore a sign-and-trade. If not, they could let Russell walk, saving luxury tax money and getting them under the first apron. Of course, then they'll need a starting point guard.

4. Will they trade for a star?

The Lakers have three first-round picks (and five second-rounders) to trade on draft night, including no. 17 overall in 2024.

The Lakers have long been linked to Kyrie Irving and Atlanta Hawks guards/Klutch clients Trae Young and Dejounte Murray. Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, and Mikal Bridges are names to watch, too.

Reaves and picks would land a star. The Lakers could've made that move at the deadline, but never seriously entertained giving up Reaves. Would they reconsider now, after a competitive first-round playoff elimination at the hands of the champs?

Otherwise, the Lakers can package Jarred Vanderbilt ($10.7 million 2024-25 cap hit), Gabe Vincent ($11 million), and/or Rui Hachimura ($17 million) with picks to swing a deal.

3. What will LeBron do? 

LeBron can pick up his $51.4 million player option for 2024-25 by June 29. He'll be eligible to sign a 3-year, $162 million max extension with the Lakers in August, or enter unrestricted free agency for the first time since 2018.

The Lakers are reportedly willing to offer LeBron the deal.

For now, LeBron said he'll focus on family and prepping his body for the Olympics. He'll meet with Rich Paul and sort of his basketball future in the coming days.

“I just want to get home to the family, honestly,” LeBron said Monday. “One of my boys is trying to decide if he’s going to enter the draft or go back to school. Another kid is playing AAU ball right now. My daughter is playing volleyball. My wife is doing so many great things. So it’s about family right now.”

Expect him the four-time MVP to hang tight and see how the Lakers fine-tune the roster before the draft, on June 26. Presumably, he’d like to see the Lakers make a (veteran) splash.

3. Will the Lakers select Bronny James?

The Lakers own the no. 17 and no. 55 picks in the 2024 NBA Draft.

The organization is reportedly “very open” to incorporating Bronny into their development pipeline, either via the draft or free agency.

After the Lakers' Game 5 loss, LeBron was asked point-blank if he still intends to be the first father to play with his son in the NBA.

“I haven't given much thought lately,” LeBron replied. “Obviously, I've thought about it in the past. At the end of the day, the kid — I don't even want to say ‘kid' no more — the young man will decide what he wants to do and how he wants his career to go. I think the fact that we're even having the conversation is pretty cool.”

Bronny's stock is polarizing among draft experts, considering his understandably clunky season at USC in the wake of his cardiac arrest and roster issues. The 19-year-old is currently in the pre-draft process and the NCAA transfer portal.

The Lakers' 2023 first-round pick, Jalen Hood-Schifino, appeared in 21 games as a rookie before undergoing season-ending back surgery.

1. Will Darvin Ham return?

The Lakers won four more games (47) in Ham’s second year, and the conference was undoubtedly stronger. But, Ham lost the locker room in December when his galaxy-brained over-tinkering with rotations resulted in Russell, Reaves, and Hachimura — the third, fourth, and fifth best, and highest-paid, players on the team — coming off the bench.

The Lakers preached continuity throughout last summer, in the aftermath of their post-deadline surge to the conference finals. Yet, it took Ham until February to recommit to their successful combinations from 2023.

The Lakers finished 23-10, but it wasn’t enough to escape the play-in and the Denver Nuggets.

Shortly after Game 5, reports indicated that Ham's job could be in jeopardy. (The Athletic's Jovan Buha mentioned Charlotte Hornets head coaching candidate and LeBron James podcast co-host J.J. Redick as a possible name to watch, should Ham be let go.)

Ham, 50, signed a four-year contract with the Lakers in May 2022.