PUBLISHED ON MAY 10, 2024 BY
ELY CORLISS
Features | Will LeBron James be playing for the Lakers come next season?
Year 21 of LeBron James’s incredible NBA career is in the books after being eliminated by Denver once again in the Playoffs. Focus now moves to whether he’ll still be a Laker next season.
The 2024-25 season has been one that LeBron James and the James family would’ve had circled for quite some time — it’s the year his oldest son, Bronny James, becomes eligible for the NBA Draft.
The all-time leading scorer in NBA history has said for many years now that his dream is to play on the same team as Bronny. And that opportunity now arrives.
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It’s been a roller-coaster of a colligate career Bronny James has had at USC, first dealing with a terrifying cardiac arrest and then underwhelming production once he was able to get back on the court. But despite all the trials and tribulations, the 19-year-old has declared for the Draft, while simultaneously entering the NCAA transfer portal in case he doesn’t get picked up by an NBA team.
These next few months will dictate where Bronny James ends up playing and, subsequently, where LeBron himself will also. Arguably the greatest player we’ve ever seen has a $51.4 million dollar player option with LA. But the ball’s in LeBron’s court to wait and observe what happens with his eldest son. It’s a mindblowingly unique situation.
A multitude of scenarios could play out, with a lot of big decisions to be made, ultimately, by Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka. If he plays his cards right, the experienced executive could bring Bronny to LA, therefore keeping LeBron. But is it worth it, and what will it cost?
The LeBron James-Bronny situation for 2024-25 season
The fallout of another playoff series defeat at the hands of the Denver Nuggets has once more brought speculation of whether it’s the last time we see LeBron James lace up his sneakers for the purple and gold. Last season it seemed like the storyline was whether he was tired of carrying a struggling team, but now it surrounds his son entering the league and where he might end up playing — a more legitimate case.
Heating the conversation up to boiling point was James’ post-match comments after his Game 5 loss to the Nuggets, choosing to not give much of an answer when asked about whether this was his last game as a Laker.
“I’m not going to answer that,” James said after putting up a 30 point, 11 assist performance.
Where will Bronny and dad LeBron end up next season?
His vagueness alarmed many around the basketball community, reminding them of his past subtle hints that he was leaving a franchise — the most infamous example being when he took his Cleveland jersey off immediately after being eliminated in the post-season in 2010.
However, the Lakers’ situation is completely salvageable, should a few moving pieces fall into place. Decisions made by GM Rob Pelinka will have a big say in whether James takes his player option for the 2024-25 season, but ultimately some of it could be decided for the Lakers, in terms of another team picking Bronny earlier in the upcoming Draft.
The situation starts with what moves Pelinka will make this off-season; already starting it off in dramatic fashion, axing two-year Lakers head coach Darvin Ham despite making the Playoffs both years and featuring in the Western Conference Finals in 2023.
What LeBron James will be looking for from Pelinka is two things to help make the most of potentially landing Bronny at the Lakers. Firstly, it starts with securing a higher draft pick in order to get the best chance of drafting the 19-year-old, and secondly, going to work in the trade period.
Currently, the Lakers own the 55th pick in the 2024 draft (fourth-last) and are waiting on the New Orleans Pelicans to decide whether they will take the rights to the Lakers’ first round pick, which is the 17th. The Pelicans have the rights to either the Lakers’ first round selection in 2024 or 2025, and with this year’s draft class being labelled as one of the weakest of all-time, it’s likely New Orleans will go for 2025 instead.
Due to Bronny James’s below-average freshman year at the University of Southern California, where he averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists, using a first round pick on him would be an extreme gamble, something the Lakers would be foolish to do.
According to ESPN’s 2024 NBA mock draft, Bronny James is expected to go undrafted, but could quite easily be picked up by the Lakers with the 55th pick. But considering how weak the draft is this time around, some teams could take a gamble on him in the second round, given what might be coming in alongside the rookie. So the Lakers might want to trade for a higher second round pick.
Bringing in some more talent, namely players with solid defensive capabilities that are also knock down shooters from range will be at the top of the Lakers’ list of priorities if they want LeBron to pick up his $51.4 million dollar player option.
James has made it clear that the health and lack of solid role players has prevented him from having a serious chance at securing a fifth NBA championship. This showed in the Playoffs with LeBron and Anthony Davis practically the only reliable players on both ends of the floor.
Ideally, the Lakers will try to trade up in the draft through offloading players or flipping their potential 17th pick for a lower selection to ensure they can draft Bronny James. LeBron James’ contract could cause issues with what possibilities the organisation has out on the opening market, considering how hefty his salary is.
Time will tell just what roster Rob Pelinka will be able to put together, but if Bronny ends up elsewhere, and LeBron James isn’t in Hollywood, then the Lakers will find themselves in a huge hole. Pelinka has formed many different looking sides while LeBron has been a part of the organisation, so there should be faith in him to do it again, but at what point does LeBron’s patience with a constantly re-tooling Lakers organisation start to waiver?