LeBron James Rumors: Teams Think They Could Land Lakers Star by Drafting Bronny

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has a $51.4 million player option for the 2024-25 season, and at least a few NBA teams believe he'll have a very good reason for declining it.

NBA reporter Marc Stein wrote Monday: "I know of at least two teams on the NBA map that believe LeBron James would consider signing with them at far less than $51.4 million if Bronny James is on the roster. There might be more."

James has made it abundantly clear that he wants to play in the NBA at the same time as his son.

"I need to be on the floor with my boy. I got to be on the floor with Bronny," he told ESPN's Dave McMenamin in Jan. 2023.

He added that they didn't necessarily have to be on the same team.

"Either in the same uniform or a matchup against him," James continued. "I don't mean like [guarding one another all game]—because he's a point guard and I'm a—at this point now I'm playing center or whatever the team needs from me. But I would love to do the whole Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr. thing. That would be ideal for sure."

The 39-year-old James continues to defy the aging process, averaging 24.8 points, 7.8 assists and 7.3 rebounds per game this season. He looks like a player who still has several seasons left if he can avoid injuries, so there's little doubt that he can overlap with his son in the NBA.

Whether Bronny James is ready to make that leap is another question entirely. The USC freshman is averaging just 5.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game across 16 contests (six starts) this season. He's shown the ability to play solid defense and has some chops as a playmaker, but his 27.1 percent shooting from three and struggles to consistently generate offense will worry some NBA executives.

Unless they think drafting Bronny would entice LeBron to sign with their organization, that is. More than a few teams would surely trade at least a first-round pick to acquire the elder James, so using a draft pick to acquire his son—if it would indeed help secure LeBron's signature in free agency—is a worthwhile allocation of assets.