LeBron James‘ future with the Los Angeles Lakers is in jeopardy.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, multiple NBA teams have shown interest in drafting James’ son, Bronny, in June. James repeatedly said in the past he wanted to play with his son in the NBA.
“When I talked to people around the league, [Bronny] is on the draft boards of multiple teams and it is curious what if he gets drafted somewhere not in LA? LeBron James does have a player option this summer,” Charania said on “Run It Back” on FanDuel TV on January 18.
James caught the second half of Bronny’s game against Arizona in the Lakers locker room after their 127-110 win over the Dallas Mavericks.
In between answering media questions, James cheered on his son, commenting “Shoot it” and “Oh good pass” while watching the game in their locker room TV.
“Watching college basketball, alone, is tough,” James told reporters. “Then you add my son in there, it’s even worse. It’s hard to watch.”
“Yeah, I’m a dad, but I also love the game of basketball. And college basketball … just … it’s like 10 people in the paint at the same time. It’s very hard to watch. But USC is a good, great program. Arizona is a great program. So you get an opportunity to watch them play basketball, it’s good.”
Bronny dropped 11 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds and 1 block in USC’s 82-67 loss to Arizona. James’ son is averaging 5.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists on a terrible 36.8% shooting. He was much better against the Wildcats, hitting 5 of 11 shots. The two games prior, he went scoreless on a combined 0 of 10 shooting.
“When I talked to NBA people, they know defensively, he’s a lot further along than offensively,” Charania said of Bronny as a draft prospect.
The Lakers’ first-round pick is owed to the New Orleans Pelicans as part of the Anthony Davis deal. But they have two second-round selections in the next NBA Draft.
LeBron James Pushes Back on Trade Rumors
James was in no mood to discuss the trade rumor surrounding the Lakers as they are beginning to figure out things. Their rout of the Mavericks was their second straight victory and fourth over their last six games.
“I don’t play fantasy basketball. What I do is focus on the guys that are here and in this uniform, and show up to work every day,” James told reporters. “It’s too disrespectful to be thinking about what we need or what we don’t have. I don’t do that to my teammates.”
“We’ve been putting in the work and that’s what we got to continue to do. We like the way we’ve been playing the last couple of games. We got to continue that Friday versus Brooklyn.”
The Lakers have a chance to go over .500 with an easier schedule to wind up their four-game homestand. After the Nets, they will have the lowly Portland Trail Blazers (11-29) on Sunday, January 21, before a big showdown against intra-city rival LA Clippers on the 23rd.
Lakers Trade Target Open to Spurs Reunion
The Spurs, have registered interest in a reunion with Lakers trade target Dejounte Murray, per Charania. Murray would welcome a reunion if the Atlanta Hawks trade him back to San Antonio.
“As far as the business, I’m gonna stay professional and be a good teammate,” Murray told TNT’s Dennis Scott after the Hawks’ win over the Spurs on January 15. “Pop (Gregg Popovich) is like a father figure to me, I would welcome it. But right now, I’m a Hawk. I’m gonna stay professional, play the right way.”
Two summers ago, the Spurs got three first-round picks, two of them unprotected, and a pick swap from the Hawks for Murray. San Antonio is searching for a point guard to run with their top pick Victor Wembanyama.
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Latest NBA Draft Intel on Bronny James Casts Doubts on LeBron’s Future With Lakers