THE LOS ANGELES Lakers appear willing to bend their knee to the King to keep LeBron James happy in the purple and gold.
The Lakers are reportedly “exploring” the idea of drafting the 39-year-old NBA legends son Bronny to keep LeBron on the team after speculation he was leaving after the season.
LeBron James is a 20-time NBA All-StarCredit: Getty
TheLakers are “willing to explore” drafting Bronny JamesCredit: Getty
James has a player option for $51.4 million this summer and can opt to enter free agency.
The 20-time All-star has also been very open about his desire to play with his son Bronny, a freshman at USC when he makes it to the league.
On Monday, NBA insider Marc Stein reported that he had been hearing rumblings of teams thinking of ways they could lure James if he left the Lakers.
“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,” Stein noted.
Fast-forward to Wednesday, a report from the Athletic states the Lakers have a similar plan to persuade James to stay in Los Angeles and will do whatever it takes to have him retire as a Laker.
“Their preference is for James to retire with the Lakers — a stance that a high-ranked team source reiterated.
“The Lakers are also willing to explore the notion of adding Bronny James next season.
“This stance is rooted in the reality that James’ happiness truly matters to the organization,” the report states.
It’s not the first time we heard that James is seeking to play with his son.
Last year, he told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin that he “needs to be on the floor with my boy. I got to be on the floor with Bronny.”
“Either in the same uniform or a matchup against him…
“But I would love to do the whole Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr. thing. That would be ideal for sure,” James said in January 2023.
Despite James’ longing to play with Bronny, he isn’t exactly having a great season in his first year at USC, and making the one-and-done year jump could worry some NBA executives.
ESPN released its 2024 NBA mock draft of the players they expected to be selected in the two rounds, and Bronny was projected to go undrafted.
The article provided context to the reasoning for Bronny missing out on the top 60 players for the draft but highlighted that he has “been excellent defensively.”
“A month into his college career, James is still finding his footing at USC, having some strong offensive performances and some lackluster ones.
“He is not the type of player who will consistently carry a team with his scoring,” the Mock Draft noted.
However, Bronny can quickly develop as the ESPN draft experts expressed that the Lakers star’s kid still has much room to grow if he picks up his aggressiveness.
As for James, he’s having another great season in year 21, averaging 24.8 points, 7.8 assists, and 7.3 rebounds per game.
Bronny is afrrshamn at USCCredit: Getty
