LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 10: USC Trojans guard Bronny James (6) warms up as his parents Lebron James and Savannah James look on before the college basketball game between the Washington State Cougars and the USC Trojans on January 10, 2024 at Galen Center in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

LeBron James’ future with the Los Angeles Lakers will likely hinge on what moves the team makes this off-season, with none potentially more important than the drafting of Bronny James.

The Athletic’s Shams Charania told Pat McAfee on The Pat McAfee Show that James wants to play two more seasons, the Lakers want him back, and the team is interested in bringing his son into the organization during this year’s NBA Draft.

LeBron James - Wikipedia

LeBron has repeatedly expressed his desire to play on the same team as his son but following the Lakers’ loss to the Nuggets in the first round for the NBA Playoffs, admitted that he cannot dictate Bronny’s future.

“The end of the day, the kid has to do what he wants to do. I don’t even want to say kid no more, the young man will decide what he wants to do and how he wants his career to go.”

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski added, “The idea of them playing together is not a priority, it’s not foremost, at least any longer, in LeBron James’ mind.”

Despite a change in priority for the game’s biggest star, the Lakers should still explore the possibility of using its second-round pick (No. 55 overall) to pick the second-generation player and enhance the likelihood that the team can retain LeBron for the remainder of his career.

ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported that the Lakers want him back on “any term that he wants,” he said on the Rich Eisen Show. That could mean money, of which the Lakers can offer up to $164 million over three years. It could mean attacking the offseason with a sense of urgency that sees them pursue Trae Young of Atlanta or impending free agent Klay Thompson of Golden State.

Both are likely to be factors, but can be aided with the decision to bring Bronny on-board and ensure his father can finish out his career overseeing his development in the NBA.

Sure, the greatest of this generation may have lightened his stance on insisting on playing with his son but the fact that he mentioned it in the first place suggests it means a lot to him.

Bronny’s collegiate career faced hurdles from the get-go after the 18-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest attributed to a congenital heart defect. Upon recovery, he averaged 19.4 minutes a game with an average of 4.8 points in his freshman season with the USC Trojans.

Should the Lakers draft him, it would be with the understanding that there is considerable learning and development to be done, yet taking the steps to acquire him would be another piece of evidence that the organization are willing to do whatever it takes to make sure LeBron remains with it, continues to sell tickets to Crypto.com Arena, and chase another championship or two in the City of Angels.

On the court, such a move could ensure James brings his 25.7 points per game, 8.3 assists, 7.3 rebounds, 54 percent shooting from the paint, and 41 percent from beyond the arc, back to a Lakers team desperately seeking another world title.