Getty Trae Young with LeBron James.
For years, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has talked about wanting to play with his son Bronny James in the NBA. That dream could be a reality soon. Bronny James is set to play college basketball at USC this year and will be eligible to enter the 2024 NBA Draft.
LeBron James has a player option next year and can decline it to hit free agency. Any team that drafts Bronny James will have to look at them as a packaged deal. In a June 24 mock draft for the 2024 NBA Draft, Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo of ESPN projected the Atlanta Hawks to use the No. 17 pick to select Bronny James.
Obviously, the 2024 NBA Draft is still a long time away, but LeBron James saw the prediction and responded to it on a June 27 Instagram story.
“Wellllll ATL shawty the #JamesGang will be pulling up!” James wrote.
Just imagine
LeBron James’ response could be tongue in cheek, but it sounds like he wouldn’t be opposed to heading to Atlanta. Star guard for the Hawks Trae Young added fuel to the fire. He responded to a tweet showing James’ Instagram story and simply said “Talk soon.”
@TheNBACentral Talk soon😎
Trae Young Was Previously Linked to the Los Angeles Lakers
Trae Young’s response to LeBron James could mean a lot of things. It’s worth noting that the two star players are both represented by Klutch Sports so there’s likely a relationship there. It’s also interesting considering Young has been linked to the Lakers recently.
The Athletic’s Jovan Buha reported on May 23 that Los Angeles “had internal discussions” about what a trade for the guard could look like. There hasn’t been any traction in recent weeks on a possible trade.
Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer reported on June 16 that the Hawks are telling teams that the guard isn’t available.
“The Hawks have told opposing teams Atlanta is open to conversations about all of its roster outside of Trae Young,” Fischer wrote.
With the 2023 NBA Draft in the rearview mirror, an offseason trade of Young seems highly unlikely. It’s always possible that the season goes awry for the Hawks and they consider trading the guard, but a deal doesn’t appear to be happening in the immediate future.
LeBron James Still Planning to Play With Bronny
Following the Lakers’ series loss to the Denver Nuggets, LeBron James hinted that he might be considering retirement. He hasn’t come out and made a definitive decision about his career, but a recent statement from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst would suggest the superstar isn’t done playing yet due to his desire to play with Bronny James.
“He has gone back and forth on this,” Windhorst said on a June 29 episode of ESPN’s “Get UP.” “… He really, really wants this to happen.”
It’s possible that James retires for one season and then comes back next year to play with his son. However, he would still have to honor his Lakers contract. If there was a path for Los Angeles to land Bronny, then that could be a possible outcome. The Lakers still own their 2024 first-round pick so they could be in the mix to draft the young guard. That would certainly be a way to help appease James and keep him in Los Angeles.