The Lakers may make a family pitch to keep LeBron James in Los Angeles.
Speculation has centered on whether James will exercise his $51.4 million player option after this season or become a free agent, but Los Angeles is considering adding son Bronny James for the 2024-25 season. plan to do so. According to The Athletic.
Bronny, a freshman from USC, could enter the 2024 NBA Draft, and the Lakers intend to consider adding him because they know he can satisfy LeBron, according to reports.
LeBron has long said his goal is to play in the NBA alongside his son, and The Athletic reports teams realize they need to prioritize Bronny if they want to tempt the father. That’s what it means.
LeBron reportedly passed on joining the Warriors before this year’s NBA trade deadline, but rival executives are “increasingly convinced” that LeBron wants out of Hollywood.
The Lakers won a championship in LeBron’s second year, albeit in a coronavirus bubble, but have not won a conference finals game since then.
Even as he turns 40 in December, James remains a top talent and could help turn the team into a true title contender.
However, it is uncertain whether his son will enter this year’s draft, as he has produced pedestrian numbers for a terrible USC team.
Bronny, ESPN’s No. 20 recruit, is averaging 5.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game, but is shooting just 35.6 percent from the floor.
From a pure production standpoint, he’s not playing like a first-round pick, much less a lottery pick.
Bronny suffered cardiac arrest in July and was unable to make his debut until December.
But if drafting Bronny meant a package deal with LeBron, it would certainly be a better option for the team to draft Bronny.
The Lakers may not have a first-round pick, but a second-round pick, as New Orleans could choose that pick or Los Angeles’ 2025 first-round pick as part of the Anthony Davis trade. I have two rights.
The Athletic’s reporter also reports that the Lakers are “in a good position” to add top talent this summer, which certainly doesn’t hurt their chances of keeping LeBron happy.
The Lakers (30-26) currently sit in ninth place in the Western Conference, which will qualify them for the NBA Play-In Tournament.
