The NBA offseason is still young, but it has already been incredibly eventful, with super-max contract extensions and potentially impactful trades already landing.
There's a chance it gets much more interesting, as well. Thats thanks to LeBron James, and growing buzz that he is heading for a split with the Los Angeles Lakers.
LeBron opted into his existing contract by exercising a player option worth about $52.6 million for the 2025–26 season, keeping him tied to the Lakers for his 23rd NBA season. However, he also put out some interesting quotes online, saying through his agent, Rich Paul, that he "values a realistic chance of winning it all" next year.
Cue the trade buzz, and speculation about where LeBron could land, assuming that a championship contender is willing to give up what it would take to land LeBron, which may not happen.
May 13, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Savannah James, LeBron James and Rich Paul sit in the front in the fourth quarter of game four of the second round for the 2024 NBA playoffs between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images
May 13, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Savannah James, LeBron James and Rich Paul sit in the front in the fourth quarter of game four of the second round for the 2024 NBA playoffs between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images
Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images
Should LeBron end up leaving LA, the question then becomes what happens with his son, Bronny, who just finished his rookie season with the Lakers. On Wednesday, Bronny was asked about this situation, to which he didn't have much to say.
"I don't really pay attention to that stuff," Bronny said. “There’s a lot of stuff going around that I don’t really pay attention to.”
When asked about whether or not his dad had given him the sense that he still wants to be in Los Angeles or not, Bronny deflected once again.
"We don't really talk about that stuff too much," Bronny said. "When stuff like that does come up, he just tells me to not worry about it, and not even pay attention to it. Just lock into what you've got going on right now, and that's what's going to get me better and keep me focused."
While the James family may not be focused on where LeBron — and potentially Bronny — are going to be playing in the future, it's likely going to be the single story that dominates the NBA offseason over the next month or two. There are several teams who have been floated as potential landing spots — the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, or San Antonio Spurs, to name a few — but needed clarity on whether or not any of those teams would give up enough assets to get LeBron in return.