The head is already on next season for the leaders of the Los Angeles Lakers, after their elimination in the first round of the play-offs by Denver (1-4), on the night of Monday to Tuesday. Beaten a few seconds before the buzzer in Game 5, the California franchise wishes to continue the adventure with the best scorer in NBA history, LeBron James, by drafting his son. The Athletic indicates that the franchise with 17 titles is “very open” to the idea of acquiring Bronny James (19 years old) in the next draft (June 26-27).
While he will celebrate his 40th birthday in December, LeBron James has never hidden his wish to wear the same jersey as his offspring before the end of his career. A father-son association which could be put in place as early as next season, because the player from the University of Southern California has registered his name in the 2024 draft, while retaining the possibility of continuing his development in the NCAA. Last summer, he had to have surgery after suffering a cardiac arrest during training.
An eventful summer in LA
However, he no longer appears in the specialist media’s 2024 draft projections due to an inconclusive university season: 4.8 points on 36% shooting, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 19.3 minutes per game.
At the end of the contract, the King has a “player option” – at $51 million – next season, which he could not activate in order to sign a longer contract in the City of Angels. . or elsewhere. He has until June 29 to activate this extension or test the free agent market.
According to The Athletic, No. 23 will be very attentive to his management’s decisions to build a solid team around him and Anthony Davis. The American media reports that several internal sources confirm that the Lakers would like to negotiate a new contract, including a potential maximum extension of $164 million over three years, thus guaranteeing James a contract until he turns 42. But for now, the main person concerned maintains the mystery.
In the post-match press conference, he did not answer a journalist’s question who asked him if he had played his last match with the purple and gold jersey on Monday evening. “I’m not going to answer that question,” he said before leaving.
After a period of rest, the four-time regular season MVP (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013) will prepare for his final Olympic campaign with Team USA in preparation for the 2024 Olympics. He already has two gold medals (2008, 2012 ) and a bronze medal (2004) to his list.