Lakers News: Front Office Could Make Major Draft Concession To Keep LeBron James Happy
The Los Angeles Lakers season hasn't gone fully to plan so far, but they have started to play much better of late. Despite not making any moves at the trade deadline, the team did add in guard Spencer Dinwiddie via the buyout market.
The front office is focused on playing this season out to the best possible outcome, but they do have their eyes on this coming offseason. The team will be armed with multiple draft picks this summer and will need to do something to keep star LeBron James happy.
He can opt out of his current contract this summer, but all reports have shown that the team is committed to keeping him past this year. One way to do this is by potentially drafting James's son Bronny in the upcoming NBA Draft.
The younger James is currently a freshman playing for the USC Trojans but is eligible to enter the draft this year. James has spoken at length about his desire to play with his son at some point, and the front office may use this to try to land Bronny.
"The Lakers, per the high-ranking team source, are also willing to explore the notion of adding Bronny James next season. This stance, the source said, is rooted in the reality that James’ happiness truly matters to the organization. They will potentially have their 2024 first-round pick (depending on if the New Orleans Pelicans, as part of the blockbuster Davis trade, choose to receive that pick or defer to 2025) and have two second-round picks that could help to that end (the Clippers’ and the less favorable of the Grizzlies’ and Wizards’ selections)."
Adding Bronny to the mix could help keep James in town and would give them a nice young player to add to their rotation. While Bronny is a bit raw as a prospect, maybe working alongside his father could help him develop more.
The front office has many different routes that they can go this coming summer, and looking at Bronny remains one of the more interesting ones.