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According to reports, LeBron James is likely to opt out of the final year of his contract with the LA Lakers to re-sign with them on a multi-year deal. Ahead of night two of the 2024 NBA Draft, NBA insider Shams Charania revealed that the Lakers are interested in drafting LeBron's eldest son, Bronny James.
The expectation is that if Bronny is still available when the Lakers make the No. 55 pick of the draft, they will acquire him. Of course, at the same time, there has been talk of teams like the Golden State Warriors drafting Bronny before the Lakers make their pick.
Moreover, Tim Legler has suggested that the Boston Celtics could use the 54th pick of the draft to land Bronny as a bargaining chip in negotiations with LA. While there's still plenty up in the air, Charania believes that LeBron James' future with LA could be tied to the team's second-round pick on Friday night.
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On The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday, Charania spoke about the situation:
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"LeBron James has a franchise that has been very upfront about the fact that they want to bring him back on any term and that they have interest in drafting Bronny James, which we reported on about a month plus."
Looking at latest reports surrounding LeBron James' future with LA Lakers ahead of night 2 of NBA Draft
Since the end of the Lakers' season, there has been quite a bit of talk regarding whether LeBron James will opt into the final year of his deal with the Lakers. James has one year remaining on his existing deal should he decide to opt-in.
On the flip side, he could opt out to negotiate a bigger deal with the Lakers that keeps him with them for several years. Moreover, he could opt out and part ways with the franchise in search of greener pastures.
Ahead of the June 29 deadline to opt in or opt out, ESPN has reported that the Lakers are ready and willing to offer James a three-year $162 million extension. Nevertheless, as Shams Charania explained on The Pat McAfee Show, the team is willing to follow his lead regarding his future:
"The Lakers have said it, I've reported it. They're willing to offer whatever LeBron James wants. If he wants to opt in and extend a year, they'll do that. If he wants to opt in and add two years and do a three year max, $164 million deal, they'll do that. If he wants to opt out and get a no trade clause, they'll do that."
For his part, James has played his cards close to the vest regarding his future. Following his and the Lakers' first-round exit in the playoffs, he took to social media, reiterating previous comments made the night before regarding his future.
With night two of the NBA Draft set to begin in less than one hour, it will be interesting to see where Bronny lands and how it impacts James' future. While playing with his son is no longer his top priority, should the Lakers draft the second-generation hooper, LeBron re-signing seems much more likely.
