Given how rooted LeBron James and his family have been in LA ever since he signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency back in 2018, it seems rather unlikely that James, who could be entering free agency if he declines his player option for the 2024-25 season, will be leaving Tinseltown. However, crazier things have happened in the NBA.
James has always maintained that he wants to play with his son Bronny in the NBA before he retires. Now, with Bronny set to enter the NBA the league via the upcoming draft, whichever team takes a chance on drafting the guard out of USC figures to play a huge role in determining which team James suits up for next season. In that case, keep an eye out for the Phoenix Suns as a potential draft-night spoiler for the Lakers as they look to convince James to join Kevin Durant and Devin Booker in The Valley.
“There’s a lot of Phoenix buzz right now; I’m just going to say it. And I don’t know if it’s real or not,” Bill Simmons of The Ringer said on his eponymous podcast. “I think Bronny is going to go in the first round because I think… I think that’s going to be encouraged.”
Indeed, Bronny James has the distinction of being the son of one of the greatest players of all time, and the influence he has on LeBron’s impending free agency decision cannot be overstated. The Suns have the 22nd overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft, and while Bronny did not have a good freshman season in USC, there might be a chance, Simmons thinks, that the Suns could snag him in the draft in hopes of scoring a package deal.
Simmons pointed out as well that LeBron James and Mat Ishbia employ the same media strategist, which further adds fuel to the fire of this potential bombshell move. While logic dictates that the Lakers remain the most likely team that James is going to play for next season, this Suns possibility is definitely something to keep in mind.
LeBron James will be the ultimate home run move for the Suns
The Suns have thrown all caution out of the window over the past year or so; they broke up the core that made the 2021 NBA Finals, dealing away Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, and a boatload of picks for Kevin Durant, and then in the 2023 offseason, they doubled down, sending Chris Paul away for Bradley Beal while turning Deandre Ayton into Jusuf Nurkic and Grayson Allen.
The results haven’t exactly been pretty for the Suns. They lost in six games to the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the 2023 NBA playoffs, and then after building a Big 3 in the Valley, they proceeded to win a grand total of zero playoff games in 2024 after they got laughed off the floor by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Suns come close to literally not having any draft assets to spare. With one more first-round pick under their control, why not go for one more high-risk move by drafting Bronny James with the hopes of supplanting the team’s top-heavy core by adding one of the greatest players of all time?
Going for broke has been the theme of Mat Ishbia’s tenure as the Suns’ governor. They are wedded to their current core, mortgaging their future for present gain, but so far, those present gains have not been nearly enough for what they have given up. They must win big and win now, and what better way for them to boost their chances of reaching that goal by adding LeBron James?
Adding James will allow Devin Booker and Bradley Beal to settle into more of an off-ball role. James gives their offense a different dimension as someone who could get to the rim at will. He is a big-game player as well, acting as a bit of insurance for when their more jumpshot-heavy stars have bad nights.
It will take a miracle for the Suns to pull off this heist from under the Lakers’ noses, however. The Suns are already over the second luxury-tax apron, which means that the most they could offer James is a minimum contract. Even if the Suns do draft Bronny, will the privilege of getting to play with his son be worth a pay cut that could end up costing him around $70 to $80 million?
As a famous general manager once referenced, “scared money don’t make none.” The Suns are not in a position to be scared, so expect them to swing for the fences this offseason even though it’s very unlikely that James leaves the Lakers.
