One important aspect of the Los Angeles Lakers’ upcoming offseason that isn’t being talked about much is the fact LeBron James has a player option for next season. That means he could make himself a free agent this summer and leave L.A.
The mere prospect of that happening has to make the Lakers’ front office and the team’s fans, or at least some of them, feel concerned about the team’s immediate future. Whether one loves or hates James, one has to conclude the Lakers will have zero chance of winning an NBA championship anytime soon if James takes his ball and goes elsewhere.
One factor is that James’ son Bronny could declare for the draft in a few months. The elder James has stated multiple times that he wants to play with his son, who is a freshman at the University of Southern California.
According to Marc Stein, multiple teams believe if they draft the younger James this June, the elder James could arrive with him (h/t Lakers Daily).
Via Marc Stein Substack:
“What happens if Bronny James is drafted in June?” wrote Stein. “LeBron’s 19-year-old son, in the midst of his freshman season at USC, has not yet announced whether he plans to enter the 2024 NBA draft or play another season at the collegiate level. But if Bronny does choose to enter the June draft and if he’s selected somewhere in Round 2, as would almost certainly happen in a worst-case scenario, how does Dad react?
“I know of at least two teams on the NBA map that believe LeBron James would consider signing with them at far less than $51.4 million if Bronny James is on the roster. There might be more.”
The younger James has exactly been dazzling so far in his time with the Trojans. In 16 games this season, he’s averaging 5.8 points, 3 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 20.9 minutes a game and is shooting just 35.6% overall and 27.1% from 3-point range.
Perhaps his best move, independent of his father’s wishes, would be to stay in school for another year or two in order to hone his skills and give himself his best shot at getting drafted and succeeding in the NBA.