Getty LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers The question that will loom over the Los Angeles Lakers as they navigate how to work with the roster they have and see if it is possible to mold a championship contender with the pieces that are in place is an obvious one: Will they be going forward with LeBron James in purple-and-gold, or not? James is 41 years old, but still played like one of the top 15 or 20 players in the league last year, posting averages of 20.9 points (26th in the NBA ),