LeBron James Backs Off Desire To Play With Bronny In The NBA, But Should We Believe Him?

Before diving into this article, let me answer the cliffhanger for you - no, I do not believe LeBron when he says playing with his son is no longer a priority.

Welcome to the wonderful world of trying to read between the lines of yet another classic cryptic message leaked by LeBron James and his team. This time, they used Adrian Wojnarowski, one of a stable of ‘James whispers’ he uses to keep his name being talked about strategically.

“The idea of them playing together is not a priority, it's not foremost, at least any longer, in LeBron James' mind. Rich Paul's goal here in the pre-draft process for Bronny James is to see if there's the right developmental system or organization, a place that can take a young player like Bronny James, who went five months without playing after his heart episode certainly limited him in his season at USC. If he does go in the draft, he very likely would spend next year in the G League.” – said Adrian Wojnarowski 

WOJ is correct that Bronny will likely start his career in the G League if he ends up in the NBA. But why would James use WOJ to send the message about not prioritizing playing with his son in the first place? The answer to that question is this is most likely some negotiation tactic designed to secure a no-trade clause in his next contract.

Now that the Lakers have crashed out of the 2024 NBA Playoffs, all the attention is turning back to see if James will remain a Los Angeles Lakers and, if he does, will he use his earned clout to orchestrate the drafting of his son Bronny James to the Lakers?

The NBA rumor mill has been buzzing since the Lakers' playoff exit, with rumors ranging from James retiring to returning to Cleveland, spending a few seasons at Madison Square Garden, or signing a two-year deal to stay with the Lakers.

First things first: James is not going to retire. Second, he is not returning to Cleveland or becoming a Knick. The magic eight-ball says, “Probability high, James returns to the Lakers.”

On the latest edition of the "Bully Ball" podcast, Rachel Nichols explained why she has no issue with the Lakers potentially drafting Bronny.

"Maybe the Lakers do bring Bronny in, which by the way, I think would be great. Do it. I'm all for it," Nichols said. "He's not taking a spot on the roster. You can have a guy who's on a two-way contract with Bronny's skillset. He's got an NBA body, he's obviously got a great basketball IQ.

"His reputation in high school and college is that he's a team guy. He's not too big for his [expletive]. He's not like, 'Oh, I'm LeBron James' son.' He seems like a good team chemistry guy." 

THE UNDERRATED OPINION
After Bronny's rather turbulent freshman year on the court at USC, it is safe to say that based on his performance, he is not ready to be a starter in the NBA. Still, with some time in the G League and playing in the right system, he certainly has enough raw skills to be an impact player in the NBA eventually.

Take Scotty Pippen Jr., who went undrafted in 2022 and was signed by the Lakers before finally getting a real chance to play with the Memphis Grizzlies in the last eight games of the regular season. In 27 minutes per game, Pippen averaged 15.1 points and 5.1 assists.

Looking at what Scotty did recently, I could certainly see Bronny playing real minutes in the NBA someday.

Ultimately, James's statement that playing with his son is not a priority is simply not true. It’s a classic smokescreen tactic designed to help James secure his next deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, which should be a no-brainer for Lakers management if selling out the Crypto.com arena is a priority.
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