LeBron James could hit the free agent market this offseason. The Los Angeles Lakers star has a player option worth $51.4 million that he has to make a decision on over the summer, and while it’s hard to imagine a scenario where James is playing for anyone other than the Lakers next year, this does give him a bit of leverage as the team enters the offseason on the heels of a 4-1 playoff loss to the Denver Nuggets in the first round.
As such, the Los Angeles front office has to take on the sometimes unenviable task of figuring out what will make James happy, and apparently, being the team that selects his eldest son in the 2024 NBA Draft is on the table. According to a piece by Sam Amick, Jovan Buha, and Shams Charania of The Athletic, the team is “very open” to the idea of using a pick on Bronny James this June.
Both routes — opting in and opting out — are on the table for James. He places importance on having comprehensive and well-rounded depth around him, which could mean the Lakers explore trades in the lead-up to that player option, sandwiched between the NBA Draft, which begins June 26, and the opening of free agency on June 30.
What’s more, team sources say the Lakers are very open to the prospect of helping LeBron fulfill his dream of playing with his son Bronny by potentially drafting him.
Currently, Bronny is weighing his options after he entered the transfer portal on the heels of a tumultuous year at USC, one in which he lost out on several months of offseason prep due to a cardiac arrest incident.
It is unclear how committed James is to playing alongside his son in the NBA. After previously expressing his hope to spend his final year in the league as Bronny’s teammate, LeBron walked that back a bit in 2023, saying that he wanted to play with or against him.
