LeBron James, the All-Star forward for the Los Angeles Lakers, continues to be a dominant presence in the NBA. His decisions about his future could significantly impact the league, especially as he approaches his 40th season in 2024-25.
The 6’9″ combo forward faces a $51.4 million player option for that year. Meanwhile, his eldest son, 19-year-old USC Trojans backup combo guard Bronny James, has recently declared for this summer’s draft. However, many believe he might not be fully prepared to turn professional at this point.
The question remains: will the Lakers or another team interested in securing LeBron’s talents still choose to draft him regardless?
On The Bill Simmons Podcast, The Ringer’s Bill Simmons and Ryen Russillo delved into this intriguing possibility.
“Could a team draft Bronny James with an eye on luring LeBron?” Simmons pondered. “This has been a hot topic in my messages this week. Let’s face it, Bronny’s freshman year wasn’t stellar. He wasn’t among the final five players on a USC team that struggled in a weak conference. It’s difficult to imagine him being one of the 58 players selected in the draft… but, I do speculate if a team in the 38-58 range might draft him with hopes of enticing LeBron to sign for something like a midlevel exception in free agency. They might think, ‘Picks after the 35th spot are a gamble anyway. Let’s take a chance here; maybe LeBron will want to team up with his son.'”
“It would likely need to be a championship contender,” Simmons added. “I believe he’ll get drafted, even if he doesn’t rank among the top 58 prospects.”
The Lakers hold their own second-round draft pick, currently sitting at a low No. 55 according to Tankathon. Could they use this pick on Bronny or possibly trade up to secure him, aiming to keep LeBron with the team? Only time will reveal their strategy.