Why the optics of drafting Bronny James are much worse than signing Keljin Blevins, Thanasis Antetokounmpo or Chris Smith

#4 The Lakers did not need to pander to the LeBron James camp on drafting Bronny

If there is one brand in basketball that is bigger than LeBron, and always will be, it's the Los Angeles Lakers. Even though it may seem otherwise since Crypto.com Arena became his stomping grounds in 2018, the Lakers will keep minting money even if they let LeBron go.

Their motivation for drafting Bronny was purely keeping LeBron James a Laker and sending him off into the sunlight. But they did not have to bend to every demand of his to do so. In doing so, they have compromised their brand's untouchable status worldwide.

People will be left thinking of them as a sorry franchise trying to cling to their latest all-time great in order to maintain their relevance on the modern NBA landscape.

For the neutral fans (who considerably outnumber Lakers fans worldwide), there's no reason to respect Rob Pelinka's pulling power as a GM anymore. If he can get played by just an agent like this, how would he be able to build his roster competing with 29 other GMs who will likely be way more vindictive?