Former Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is walking away from the franchise that he has called home for eight seasons, and among the multiple dominoes, the future of his son, Bronny, will be interesting to follow.
The news of LeBron’s departure came via ESPN, which reported that he would continue his long, legendary career, just not with the Lakers.
In the end, James was the person who seemingly decided to end his tenure with the team, electing to pursue a different ending for his long, storied career.
“LeBron James is one of the greatest athletes in history,” Jeanie Buss, the Lakers’ governor, said.
“We will always be thankful for his eight years with the Lakers — including the title he led us to in 2020 under the toughest imaginable circumstances and the countless records he broke in purple and gold.”
In response, LeBron sent his own goodbye after bringing an NBA title to Los Angeles, ending years of struggle and a true star power drought.
“No, THANK YOU! Truly a honor to wear the 💜💛 while trying to continuing the greatness & legacies that came before me! Hope I made a few proud during my stint 🙏🏾🫡👑,” James wrote on Instagram.
There are now so many moving pieces from this move — where will James go? How will the Lakers spend their newfound money?
However, among the obvious questions, there is one even more interesting lingering: what happens now to Bronny, who was drafted to his father’s team?
Where does James stand as an NBA player?
Bronny, ever since he was in high school, has been viewed as a “nepo-baby,” whose basketball notoriety is solely due to his father being an icon.
Despite what naysayers may claim, Bronny was a top recruit out of high school, receiving multiple offers before choosing USC, where a heart condition cut short his college career.
Rather than develop in college, he chose to jump to the NBA immediately following his freshman year, and while many expected him to go undrafted, he was taken late in the second round by the Lakers.
He came into the NBA with a massive spotlight, much more than the average second-rounder gets.
James played 27 games in his rookie year, really struggling to show much in his small NBA sample size, but with the South Bay Lakers, he was legitimately great, averaging 21.9 points, 5.4 assists, and 5.1 rebounds.
With a full season under his belt, James had higher expectations in year two, and he showed some real growth. His numbers went down in the G-League, but he played in 42 NBA games, being trusted to play during an injury crisis for the Lakers.
He looks much more confident on the ball, and he was even trusted to play some real postseason minutes as an energetic defender.
While James has not shown superstar upside or anything close to his father’s, Bronny remains a promising young player with the potential to be a rotation player on a contending team. Even now, he can absolutely serve as an end-of-bench player.
Where can Bronny go?
At just a second-round pick’s salary, the Lakers would likely be more than fine keeping Bronny and developing him, at least offering him another year to work on his game.
Additionally, if the Lakers wanted to do the James family a favor, they could trade him to wherever LeBron goes, allowing him to develop alongside his father and continue their unprecedented father-son duo ride.
Bronny’s 2026 salary was guaranteed back on Monday, meaning that he will at least take home his $2.3 million. If LeBron’s next team cannot trade for Bronny, the Lakers could take the small cap hit and release Bronny as well.
At this point, Bronny has proven he is a fringe NBA talent with upside, and he would definitely have NBA interest even if the Lakers made a surprise decision and cut ties entirely.
Considering what the organization has said about him, and more importantly, head coach JJ Redick, a return with the Lakers may be the likeliest outcome.
The post What LeBron James’ Lakers Exit Means for Bronny James appeared first on LA Sports Report.
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