A senior NBA Insider recently made a statement indicating that LeBron James‘ future in the NBA is not going to be linked to his son Bronny. As most members of the basketball community should be aware, LeBron finished Year 21 of his NBA career this season and is supposed to be at the very backend of his career.
Over the past few years, LeBron has made his desire to play alongside his son before retiring abundantly clear to the media and the general public. This led the NBA world to believe that LeBron would leave the Lakers and join whichever team makes the decision to draft Bronny. However, recent reports reveal that things are just not that simple. That said, a closer look at the situation is required.
Shams Charania reveals that selecting Bronny may not guarantee getting LeBron James
Shams Charania is a well-known liaison between the league, media, and the general public. He has emerged as one of the most reliable and trustworthy sources for breaking news across the NBA. Shams recently went on air and shared his stance that LeBron would not leave the Lakers and join any team that ended up drafting Bronny.
“That’s the thought and it would not surprise me if a team reaches out to Rich Paul or anyone else around Bronny James or LeBron James himself and say if we draft Bronny James would you come as well. And the answer for that is going to be no. As of right now, that’s not a given. That’s not something that’s going to be preordained…”
Shams says LeBron won’t leave the Lakers to join team that drafts Bronny
— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) May 17, 2024
Charania is undoubtedly making a valid point. It would do LeBron James no good to promise to join any team that would make the decision to draft Bronny James. After all, LeBron still looks to contend for an NBA championship and might prefer winning another ring as opposed to joining a lower-tier franchise with younger stars just so that his son gets an opportunity to make it into the NBA.
Which team is most interested in acquiring Bronny James?
At this point in time, there are several teams across the league that would seriously consider picking up Bronny James just to get LeBron to join them. However, Sham’s report may make teams reconsider this idea quite significantly. After all, using up a valued draft pick with the hopes of getting LeBron but failing to do so would not be profitable for any team in the league.
The Los Angeles Lakers are undoubtedly a team that will want to draft Bronny. After all, they would prefer keeping LeBron James on their roster for his last few seasons in the NBA. Moreover, Bronny can still be considered a wildcard presently and could develop beyond current expectations.
However, it is also possible for the Lakers to side with Shams and LeBron on this issue and focus on making big moves in order to bring a star onto their roster by giving up their draft pick. In that case, LeBron will have a difficult decision to make but is expected to stay with the team that gives him a better chance of winning as opposed to joining any team just to play along with his son.