LeBron James has ended short-term speculation of a potential departure from the Lakers, but there are still plenty of directions this relationship could go.
After missing the playoffs in a dire season with the Lakers, the rumours began to start about the potential for LeBron to leave Los Angeles at the end of the 2022/23 season when his contract was due to expire.
With LeBon’s well-documented desire to play with his son in 2024, many expected that the four time NBA champion would sign a one-year deal to give himself the freedom to join with whatever team landed Bronny in that year’s draft.
However, with the Lakers’ rapid decline since winning the 2020 championship, and some very questionable decisions from the front-office, it seemed probable that LeBron would take his talents elsewhere for one last season before linking up with his son.
LeBron’s ultimate desire to stay in his preferred destination of LA with his family seemed to be the driving factor for a contract extension, but with an option to leave the Lakers in 2024, his long-term future still remains a mystery.
For the Lakers, LeBrons deal gives them the flexibility to manage cap space going into the next two seasons and now it could align with the final year of Anthony Davis’ mega-deal.
If the Lakers were able to draft Bronny, the easiest and seemingly favourable option for LeBron would be to opt into the final year of his deal, play with his son and embark on a retirement tour – passing on the torch to his son in the process.
The new extension would also suggest that the Lakers are fully committed to giving LeBron the chance to win an elusive fifth NBA title, as rumours continue to spark about a Russell Westbrook trade involving all of their future first-round picks.
For LeBron and Lakers General Manager Rob Palenka it also ends what could have been a season of speculation heading into another free agency where James is free to pick where he plays.
With all the drama that has surrounded the Lakers since the 2020 title, the last thing they needed was another distraction to possibly derail another season, not to mention ‘waste’ another LeBron year.
It wouldn’t be the first time James’ next destination has been known in advanced – it was common knowledge he was set to leave Cleveland in 2018.
Son Bronny now has some clarity that his first year out of high school will most likely involve his dad, whatever the Draft decides for his destiny.
Bronny’s true stocks as a prospect remainl cloudy, with many scouts projecting him to go in the late first round or early second, which would be an obtainable pick for the Lakers.
But could the mouth-watering potential of signing up one of the greats, along with his son, be enough for a small market team to ‘spend up’ in the Draft?
LeBron’s extension should give both sides a chance to evaluate where they want to be placed heading into the 2024/25 season, setting up for one of the most anticipated decisions since the king departed Cleveland in 2010.
