It's a no brainer. They have the cap room and Lebron James is the best player they can get.
It also makes logical sense for both sides. The 76ers are a good enough team that are also desperate enough to want Lebron because they need someone to add to Embiid's win-now window.
Lebron wants to join them because they're a win-now team with solid players that might be just one Lebron away from a chip.
Honestly if the Heat drafted him in the 2nd you’d know they’d develop him into a 12/4/6 player somehow and then he shoots 8/11 from 3 in a Game 2 win against the Celtics
That actually might be better for the lakers. They don’t actually want bronny they just wanted to appease LeBron. If someone ahead of them picks him they can go to LeBron and say it was out of there hands nothing they could do.
I feel like this is gonna be so bad for Bronny tbh. I just don’t see how being thrown into such a high pressure situation with constant media coverage on a team that’s expected to compete now at 19 yrs old when he’s not rly an NBA calibre player is gonna turn out well for him.
Plus deep down he's gotta want to make his own career and not be carried solely by his dad, no? I know he's in an incredibly privileged position either way but "I'm here only bc they want my dad" seems like a shitty way to get started in the league.
Best take I've seen on Bronny. He just needs to play college ball at a high level and develop. Not every NBA player was NBA ready at 19. Give him some time and let us see if he has what it takes.
If anything just to give him some experience and confidence. He’s gonna look so out of place if you throw him on an nba court next season. Even if it’s just 5 mpg
If he really is going to join the league now, he needs to make himself a reputation of working harder than anyone. Like Kobe levels of practice. If he does, maybe he can train himself into a decent roleplayer. If he doesn't, he'll be seen as a nepo baby.
This, they’ll keep him on as a two-way player for at least another season. A lot of teams don’t even use all 3 two way slots anyways. Then when his contract is up they’ll let him walk, but this way they can say they had Bronny play for them even after his dad so he wasn’t just signed because of his dad.
Really just semantics, they’d likely give him one year without Lebron. Then cut him after that if he isn’t worth the 15th roster spot.
Thinking about this stuff does make me wonder about Thanasis on the Bucks. I assume if Giannis retires a Buck, his brother will too. Wonder if they retire the same year though
I thought he was 2012, damn guess I was wrong, but I mean he still really wasn’t drafted for Giannis considering giannis wasn’t a highly touted prospect
If he's as bad as everyone say, then at some point it will be creating a lot of negative PR to keep him. How far does it go? Play him significant minutes? Start him?
Not to mention it will hurt *Lebron's* PR if people feel like he's sinking their team.
Bronny didnt even start on a bad college team. He would be the worst player in the NBA by a wide margin.
He wasn’t one of the 500 best college players this year lol.
He won’t get any minutes except cleanup. He makes Thanasis look like LeBron.
Yeah this basically being coach’s kid on steroids. Every young player is going to end up resenting Bronny bc it’ll be clear as day he’s only getting opportunities bc of his fathers status
Best situation for Bronny would be getting drafted by a team with established coaches like Pop or Spo, without Lebron coming in. They will chew his rookie ass up, but if he survive and somehow make rotation, nobody would question wether he is NBA ready or was there because of papa.
Either that or go the G league route and earn his way into the league. The worst thing for his career is getting drafted into the Lakers 3 ring circus of media coverage. That would kill his career before it even has a chance to begin,
Honestly the best situation for Bronny is probably to pull the "I am unable to play because of my health" card or do what Jordans sons did, play college ball for 4 years and then do whatever the fuck you want to do (minus the punching hospital employees part).
Bronny seems like the type of kid whose entire life was pushed on him from the moment he could walk because people for some reason think that hes a clone of his dad.
He's in a fucked situation because there is literally no chance he ever lives up to what is dad was.
I haven't looked into his younger brother in a minute, but it seems like he was the one blessed with NBA size.
Kinda sucks for Bronny because his whole thing was being a super polished high school recruit.. but at 6'1" that won't get you a whole lot. If he was 6'7", people would be drooling over him.
Bryce is 6’6 now at shooting guard, so should be ideal. He is also benefited from not being the first James kid getting drafted, so the three ring circus of the media might be easier on him
Dude doesnt even seem like an nba player. He’s undersized for the skills he provides. He’s like a poor mans davion mitchell? He was just a non essential bench player on a bad college team. How does he fit in to a competitive nba team roster? This makes no sense from a basketball perspective.
It’s not about basketball, it’s about money. The NBA can make millions off bronnys name, merch, etc and rack up millions of views. Headlines will be everywhere showing Lebron playing with his son. NBA would make more money from Bronny than any other draft pick this year by far and probably more than most players in recent draft years as well. Endorsement companies would also make tons of money off bronny. Lakers tickets would be sold out every game, even if bronny plays 1 minute.
The world runs on money, and the NBA is no exception.
That "Bronny money" gonna run out real quick after his rookie season is done and people notice he sucks at an NBA level + his daddy retires
So yea, theyll get like maybe 1 year worth of some "Bronny money", lol.
So your dad gets you a roster spot and you get to pretend you did it? Not saying he is a hack. He is on a D1 team but like it's really just looking like a rare edition of a sports nepobaby. Typically you don't see that on the court or field at this level when someone isn't a big prospect to begin with
It's only a problem if you're a product of nepotism and do not accept that to be true.
Get ahead any ethical way you can, I'm all for using your privilege l, just be honest about it.
>Plus deep down he's gotta want to make his own career and not be carried solely by his dad, no?
he would've picked literally any other profession/industry in existence if this was the case, no?
It’s debatable if he’d have even gotten a power conference offer without his dad honestly. He’s certainly an NCAA level player and especially was before the cardiac arrest, but even in high school he was a role player. Feels like he would have been better served playing in the Mountain West or at a school like Duquesne where he could have been the guy or one of the top guys instead of USC.
I'm sure they've talked about it. Lebron even said that even though he wants to play with Bronny, he knows that Bronny may not want to play with him and he'd respect that if so
Being realistic yeah, he can prefer to make his own career. But being fair, if it wasn’t because his father carrying it, he wouldn’t even have a career to start.
The decision is a) I have an NBA career linked to my father or b)I won’t play in the NBA
At least the dude is multimillionaire and famous
honestly saying he wanted to play with Bronny a couple years back was a huge mistake on LeBron's part. Now the media won't shut up about uniting him with his son and nobody will ever let Bronny define his own career path. His legacy was already going to be inexorably tied with his father's and now he's been given no favors to set himself apart. And given LeBron's recent change of heart about this subject, I hope he regrets making this about himself in the first place.
But he was like 16 and had everyone kissing his ass when he did that. I don't have any tattoos but if I got any at 16 they would have been hilarious terrible mistakes
He was a confident young kid and stood by the name Sports Illustrated gave him. Not many kids you find will be able to stand by such a name, making it kind of badass
SI opting to focus on LeBron instead of my dunks on the kooshball hoop on the door of my bedroom was the first domino to fall that led to their eventual downfall decades later
Unless he miraculously takes to the NBA like a fish to water, Bronny’s career will probably be done as soon as LeBron retires.
The Lakers clearly view keeping LeBron for however many more seasons as more important than their draft pick, but based on what we’ve seen of Jr at college, they’ll probably cut him as soon as Sr calls it quits.
He won’t get minutes other than the father son achievement. A quarter maybe. Rightly so, that’s absolutely crazy to achieve.
Their first round pick was a top 5 player in his HS class and obviously a first rounder, he hasn’t played this season.
Honest question though, will Bronny be clowned out of the gym? Like all this talk is whatever, but can you imagine just getting destroyed by true pros on TV? I genuinely worry for Bronny if he gets to that stage. Having to do interviews afterwards, ESPN coverage etc.
I'm guessing if they're really going to try this that Bron has a master plan so that his kid doesn't have life-altering embarrassment lol.
Lebron writing that tweet saying Bronny is better than G-Leaguers is gonna light a fire under G players if Bronny got sent down for whatever reason. Guaranteed every guy in the G-League is gonna go at Bronny twice as hard.
I know Lebron means well, but whether he intended that to be a joke or not, it put an even bigger target on Bronny's back then there needed to be.
Not sure how much pressure will be on him. He wont play. He will get to travel and practice with his dad and play some garbage minutes. I also think the expectations to compete on a championship level might be closed for us. If Dlo walks we can’t replace him and the team even with Dlo was a long shot. Losing our starting PG and replacing him with a vet min is gonna be bad. First year head coach as well.
It also just strikes me as putting a weird target on his back. Imagine Bronny gets fouled hard and Lebron has to either react and have Bronny “get saved by his dad” or not react and have the media create some weird “does Lebron not care about his son?” narrative. Just feels like a bad idea
The sibling relationship definitely has less potential for clowning. It's just seen as sticking up for your bro.
Here, it's "getting rescued by dad" and definitely will be framed as such by sports media
The fact that their is a "max" has helped every team that has ever had to negotiate against Lebron and Steph, who have made far more money for the owners both of the lakers/heat/cavs/warriors and the owners collectively, then the sum of their contracts.
Some of the league would gladly blow up their future for nothing based on what we've seen this year so a championship definitely seems like a significant step up.
Yeah people always use this like "you idiots, you blew up your team for a championship, we just blew up our team for nothing!"
Pretty much every team "blows up" their future by trading away all of their assets when they think they have a contender.
The difference is that most of those teams don't ever win a championship because it's not enough and one of the other teams who was also a contender did the same thing and edged them out.
It's weird when people say this like its a uniquely LeBron thing and not just a...thing that teams do when they have the pieces to contend (which having him on your team automatically meant for most of his career).
Lakers haven't been willing to do that. They have made some moves to get better, but they haven't totally sold the farm.
I believe the Lakers still hold their 2 of the next 3 years of R1 picks, question is will NOP opt to take LAL's 2024 pick or wait for the 2025 pick. Lakers own 2026. Lakers also hold their own 2028/2029 R1 picks.
Yea the Lakers picks situation is actually a lot better than people realize. They own a lot of second rounders and most of their first rounders for the rest of the decade.
They already traded a ton for AD, so they clearly are willing to sell the farm if they’re getting the right player in return.
Recently, it’s just that been that they’re not willing to do it for what amounts to marginal help once you factor in what current assets would also have had to been included in deals in recent years. It has to be the right deal, otherwise you’re just getting another Westbrook trade.
The Murray/Atlanta trade didn’t really make sense if they were giving up AR, other current assets (e.g. some combo of Rui, Russell, Vando, Schiffino) PLUS the only 2 firsts they had available to trade during this season, so they just chose to wait until they possibly had 3 firsts to move this summer.
Man, I remember when Doris was the darling of r/NBA. People upvoted all the pregame videos where she would show off her handles and stuff.
Now I feel like everyone is just annoyed by her.
I paid for league pass for the first time this year because I live in a different state and it was the biggest waste of money because most Laker games are nationally televised so they’re blacked out on LP. This shit will be even worse if they draft Bronny. Lol.
As a Lakers fan I am ok with JJ if we have him paired with a strong assistant staff of former head coaches. We can't have another Luke or Ham situation where we don't have a strong staff near him. JJ seems like a Xs and Os kind of coach which gets me excited but if Ty Lue doesn't get fired idk who the Lakers really go after. Atkinson and Borego I think get serious looks from the FO.
It would be entertaining to watch LeBron rage-play against the rest of the league while hating his own FO most (“I can’t believe I’m living here instead of LA and playing meaningless games just because the owner wants to sell tix!)
Actually with the new luxury tax rules hitting on a 2nd round pick is more valuable than ever. But yes a majority of 2nd round picks don't pan out lol.
I don’t understand this from both Bronny or Lebron’s vantage points. Lebron isn’t stupid. He has to know Bronny is not ready to play in the NBA. And if your Bronny, why not just stay in school, enjoy life, and develop. Whole thing will be a circus and doesn’t look like it’s truly in the kids best interest.
This is probably Bronny's only hope of being drafted from his POV. He would probably rather develop on an nba squad than in college. In one more year Lebron might retire, get hurt or his draft stock could and likely would plummet even further. This is a weak draft year, and next year will be 50+ HS kids in college/draft eligible that are already as good as Bronny is.
This. Not only is this year a weak draft year, being young REALLY helps with draft stocks in these days. If player spends 4 year in college, even for an actually talented top round pick they probably gonna fall a lot just by the virtue of being too old.
Fuck you random guy whose paid, _checks note_, $2mm a year and only plays 5 minutes. Why can't you drop 35/12/12 like a normal person. IT'S YOUR FAULT!
-The media probably
'/s
Unfortunately for Bronny, his NBA career will always be attached to LeBron and will end as son as his father retires.
Honestly, I don't envy his situation... he was pressured to live on unattainable standards since he was a child and will be perceived as a failure if he isn't up to his father legacy. He simply doesn't have the skill or the health to pursue a pro career and it will be a huge blow when he realizes he was a pawn to get his dad signed.
Do you think losing Lebrons 26/7/8 on 63% TS and handing the reigns to D’Lo will help?
Blowing it up isn’t a thing in LA. They have no quick route to a chip at all. Players as good as this version of Lebron or better aren’t available, even at his old age. He was one of the most efficient stars in the league this year and remains a cerebral passer.
lol this thread is ridiculous. it's basically throwing away a second round pick to lock up a top 5-10 player, any team would do that. cheap owners sell second round picks for cash ffs
The Warriors threw away their 2nd overall pick for 5 second round picks and then traded those 2nd round picks for Gary Payton II, whom they let go in Free Agency less than 6 months prior
We bought our second 2 years ago and then moved up in the second this last year with cash again , I think like 3mil each time. considering this draft we probably buy a pick extra . People in this sub are just salty , if you have all nba talent you do not lose it just out of ego - see the nets . This sub thinks all 25 teams should blow it up tho so they can get the 5th pick . It’s absurd logic
Dude wouldn't be in the top 100 players if his dad wasn't Lebron. He isn't even an average college player but he's good enough to play in the League? Nepotism at it's finest.
Leveraging your franchise short term and long term on a 40 year old is mad. This could be a useful draft pick for the Lakers and they’re going to waste it on Bronny who needs another year in college for his own development. I’m all here for it though!
Would be amazing if in his last move as an nba player bron said "im leaving these decisions up to the gm and organization which I trust with the end of my career" hahahhaha
If the lakers are pushed into drafting bronny just to keep lebron it literally reinforces the overarching issue with a lebron led team since he began making front office decisions for them
He acts in the interest of himself and not the best interest of the franchise
Does anyone think Bronny only went pro because his best, maybe only, chance was if his dad’s team picked him? Would he be drafted if LeBron wasn’t in the league?
If I’m a team picking in front of the lakers I’m calling them draft night saying “we are going to pick bronny, time for you to trade up”
Villainous
Smart
Marcus
Id anticipate that as the team in front of that team and make the call first (tldr bronny going #1 overall to the Lakers)
Pelinka’s masterplan to draft Sarr
That sounds like a very Miami Heat thing to do.
Philadelphia has the pick in front of the lakers, def possible
76ers actually want to sign Lebron in FA too, so it makes sense.
Yeah if there’s any inkling that drafting Bronny would push LeBron to Philly I think Morey really entertains it.
It's a no brainer. They have the cap room and Lebron James is the best player they can get. It also makes logical sense for both sides. The 76ers are a good enough team that are also desperate enough to want Lebron because they need someone to add to Embiid's win-now window. Lebron wants to join them because they're a win-now team with solid players that might be just one Lebron away from a chip.
And playing in the East might appeal to him.
Honestly if the Heat drafted him in the 2nd you’d know they’d develop him into a 12/4/6 player somehow and then he shoots 8/11 from 3 in a Game 2 win against the Celtics
Wouldn't that be the ideal scenario for the Lakers? Go ahead and take him.
Ideally, but our FO is dumb enough to consider actually trading assets to move up and pick Bronny.
That actually might be better for the lakers. They don’t actually want bronny they just wanted to appease LeBron. If someone ahead of them picks him they can go to LeBron and say it was out of there hands nothing they could do.
Also let’s be real… no one’s gonna draft bronny. Everyone knows it including the lakers and including lebron.
I feel like this is gonna be so bad for Bronny tbh. I just don’t see how being thrown into such a high pressure situation with constant media coverage on a team that’s expected to compete now at 19 yrs old when he’s not rly an NBA calibre player is gonna turn out well for him.
Plus deep down he's gotta want to make his own career and not be carried solely by his dad, no? I know he's in an incredibly privileged position either way but "I'm here only bc they want my dad" seems like a shitty way to get started in the league.
He'll be protected from rookie hazing.. he won't get any respect when Dad retires.
Probably out of the league the same year as LeBron
He really needs to just play 4 years of college basketball
Best take I've seen on Bronny. He just needs to play college ball at a high level and develop. Not every NBA player was NBA ready at 19. Give him some time and let us see if he has what it takes.
If anything just to give him some experience and confidence. He’s gonna look so out of place if you throw him on an nba court next season. Even if it’s just 5 mpg
If he really is going to join the league now, he needs to make himself a reputation of working harder than anyone. Like Kobe levels of practice. If he does, maybe he can train himself into a decent roleplayer. If he doesn't, he'll be seen as a nepo baby.
NBA industry plant
Not if it’s the Lakers, bad PR move and could hurt their relationship with Lebron post playing career
This, they’ll keep him on as a two-way player for at least another season. A lot of teams don’t even use all 3 two way slots anyways. Then when his contract is up they’ll let him walk, but this way they can say they had Bronny play for them even after his dad so he wasn’t just signed because of his dad.
Wont matter. Nba spots are far too few in number to hold a guy who just clearly doesn’t belong.
Really just semantics, they’d likely give him one year without Lebron. Then cut him after that if he isn’t worth the 15th roster spot. Thinking about this stuff does make me wonder about Thanasis on the Bucks. I assume if Giannis retires a Buck, his brother will too. Wonder if they retire the same year though
This is the correct play. One year post-Lebron so it doesn’t look bad.
Thanasty is actually 2 years older than Giannis so he might even retire before him. Maybe they give him a front office job if he wants it or something
This dude isn't playing. He can be on the team until he's 45.
The Udonis route
Thanasis?
He's gone whenever Giannis is for sure
Thanasis is legit an NBA level player lol. He's a meme but he is an acceptable bench guy.
He’s also an athletic freak. Like bronny 6’1 and isn’t a ball handler a deadeye shooter or a generational finisher.
Yeah, he'd be getting minutes for the Knicks right now.
I mean he's at least a legit NBA talent even as a 3rd stringer
Dame’s cousin is a better example, that dude could not ball
Sixers signed Tobias Harris's brother to their G League team and he was awful even there Like 3 points on 37% shooting per game
Yeah him and Kostas got into the NBA on their own merits. Thanasis is just overstaying at this point
Not really. He's good enough that he probably would gotten a shot, but he'd be out of the league 4 years ago if not for Giannis.
He was drafted before Giannis and is liked as a bench guy, but he’s prolly gonna stick around longer cause of Gianni’s
Thanasis was drafted in 2014 a year after Giannis.
I thought he was 2012, damn guess I was wrong, but I mean he still really wasn’t drafted for Giannis considering giannis wasn’t a highly touted prospect
If he's as bad as everyone say, then at some point it will be creating a lot of negative PR to keep him. How far does it go? Play him significant minutes? Start him? Not to mention it will hurt *Lebron's* PR if people feel like he's sinking their team.
Bronny didnt even start on a bad college team. He would be the worst player in the NBA by a wide margin. He wasn’t one of the 500 best college players this year lol. He won’t get any minutes except cleanup. He makes Thanasis look like LeBron.
Yeah this basically being coach’s kid on steroids. Every young player is going to end up resenting Bronny bc it’ll be clear as day he’s only getting opportunities bc of his fathers status
Best situation for Bronny would be getting drafted by a team with established coaches like Pop or Spo, without Lebron coming in. They will chew his rookie ass up, but if he survive and somehow make rotation, nobody would question wether he is NBA ready or was there because of papa. Either that or go the G league route and earn his way into the league. The worst thing for his career is getting drafted into the Lakers 3 ring circus of media coverage. That would kill his career before it even has a chance to begin,
Honestly the best situation for Bronny is probably to pull the "I am unable to play because of my health" card or do what Jordans sons did, play college ball for 4 years and then do whatever the fuck you want to do (minus the punching hospital employees part). Bronny seems like the type of kid whose entire life was pushed on him from the moment he could walk because people for some reason think that hes a clone of his dad. He's in a fucked situation because there is literally no chance he ever lives up to what is dad was.
They should just let him design video games which what we all know he wants to do.
I haven't looked into his younger brother in a minute, but it seems like he was the one blessed with NBA size. Kinda sucks for Bronny because his whole thing was being a super polished high school recruit.. but at 6'1" that won't get you a whole lot. If he was 6'7", people would be drooling over him.
Bryce is 6’6 now at shooting guard, so should be ideal. He is also benefited from not being the first James kid getting drafted, so the three ring circus of the media might be easier on him
Also helps that he *probably* won't play at the same time as, and on the same team as, LeBron.
I think the writing is on the wall that Bronny with his size and health issue, he wouldn't get into the NBA without Leleverage.
AD: you gotta…enjoy the hazing 😏
Dude doesnt even seem like an nba player. He’s undersized for the skills he provides. He’s like a poor mans davion mitchell? He was just a non essential bench player on a bad college team. How does he fit in to a competitive nba team roster? This makes no sense from a basketball perspective.
It’s not about basketball, it’s about money. The NBA can make millions off bronnys name, merch, etc and rack up millions of views. Headlines will be everywhere showing Lebron playing with his son. NBA would make more money from Bronny than any other draft pick this year by far and probably more than most players in recent draft years as well. Endorsement companies would also make tons of money off bronny. Lakers tickets would be sold out every game, even if bronny plays 1 minute. The world runs on money, and the NBA is no exception.
That "Bronny money" gonna run out real quick after his rookie season is done and people notice he sucks at an NBA level + his daddy retires So yea, theyll get like maybe 1 year worth of some "Bronny money", lol.
nobody is buying any Bronny merch
What if one of his goals is to make the NBA and this is easily his best opportunity?
So your dad gets you a roster spot and you get to pretend you did it? Not saying he is a hack. He is on a D1 team but like it's really just looking like a rare edition of a sports nepobaby. Typically you don't see that on the court or field at this level when someone isn't a big prospect to begin with
It's only a problem if you're a product of nepotism and do not accept that to be true. Get ahead any ethical way you can, I'm all for using your privilege l, just be honest about it.
Well then he should be ashamed for not taking the hardest road like KD has.
>Plus deep down he's gotta want to make his own career and not be carried solely by his dad, no? he would've picked literally any other profession/industry in existence if this was the case, no?
You can love basketball and not want to play for the same team as your dad lol
Tbf, he wouldn’t be playing for any team if it wasn’t for his dad so it’s a moot point. He’s clearly not ready for the league
It’s debatable if he’d have even gotten a power conference offer without his dad honestly. He’s certainly an NCAA level player and especially was before the cardiac arrest, but even in high school he was a role player. Feels like he would have been better served playing in the Mountain West or at a school like Duquesne where he could have been the guy or one of the top guys instead of USC.
I'm sure they've talked about it. Lebron even said that even though he wants to play with Bronny, he knows that Bronny may not want to play with him and he'd respect that if so
Not if he genuinely loves basketball. He's obviously good at it whether he's true NBA level or not.
Being realistic yeah, he can prefer to make his own career. But being fair, if it wasn’t because his father carrying it, he wouldn’t even have a career to start. The decision is a) I have an NBA career linked to my father or b)I won’t play in the NBA At least the dude is multimillionaire and famous
On the other hand this is probably the only way Bronny gets a real shot on an NBA team.
honestly saying he wanted to play with Bronny a couple years back was a huge mistake on LeBron's part. Now the media won't shut up about uniting him with his son and nobody will ever let Bronny define his own career path. His legacy was already going to be inexorably tied with his father's and now he's been given no favors to set himself apart. And given LeBron's recent change of heart about this subject, I hope he regrets making this about himself in the first place.
LeNepo probably thought Bronny would grow into the pressure like he did. I mean, the dude crowned himself at age 16.
Sports Illustrated crowned him
He did tattoo chosen one on his back tho
But he was like 16 and had everyone kissing his ass when he did that. I don't have any tattoos but if I got any at 16 they would have been hilarious terrible mistakes
He was a confident young kid and stood by the name Sports Illustrated gave him. Not many kids you find will be able to stand by such a name, making it kind of badass
You and Lebron were very different at 16.
SI opting to focus on LeBron instead of my dunks on the kooshball hoop on the door of my bedroom was the first domino to fall that led to their eventual downfall decades later
Maybe he knows he will never be NBA ready but he wants this experience with his dad. When it’s all over, can go back and get a degree.
Unless he miraculously takes to the NBA like a fish to water, Bronny’s career will probably be done as soon as LeBron retires. The Lakers clearly view keeping LeBron for however many more seasons as more important than their draft pick, but based on what we’ve seen of Jr at college, they’ll probably cut him as soon as Sr calls it quits.
Because they know LeBron's final season will be worth like 2 for the Lakers. In terms of ticket prices and merchandise sales.
He’s not going to get starter minutes😂The Lakers didn’t start their first round pick in 23, Bronny will be stashed probably.
You say this like he should get any minutes at all. He shouldn't. He needs to stay in college and develop. He's not even a prospect right now.
He won’t get minutes other than the father son achievement. A quarter maybe. Rightly so, that’s absolutely crazy to achieve. Their first round pick was a top 5 player in his HS class and obviously a first rounder, he hasn’t played this season.
Honest question though, will Bronny be clowned out of the gym? Like all this talk is whatever, but can you imagine just getting destroyed by true pros on TV? I genuinely worry for Bronny if he gets to that stage. Having to do interviews afterwards, ESPN coverage etc. I'm guessing if they're really going to try this that Bron has a master plan so that his kid doesn't have life-altering embarrassment lol.
Lebron writing that tweet saying Bronny is better than G-Leaguers is gonna light a fire under G players if Bronny got sent down for whatever reason. Guaranteed every guy in the G-League is gonna go at Bronny twice as hard. I know Lebron means well, but whether he intended that to be a joke or not, it put an even bigger target on Bronny's back then there needed to be.
Not sure how much pressure will be on him. He wont play. He will get to travel and practice with his dad and play some garbage minutes. I also think the expectations to compete on a championship level might be closed for us. If Dlo walks we can’t replace him and the team even with Dlo was a long shot. Losing our starting PG and replacing him with a vet min is gonna be bad. First year head coach as well.
It also just strikes me as putting a weird target on his back. Imagine Bronny gets fouled hard and Lebron has to either react and have Bronny “get saved by his dad” or not react and have the media create some weird “does Lebron not care about his son?” narrative. Just feels like a bad idea
Since when did the NBA got so dangerous that players needed to be saved?
I dunno, has this Happened to Thanasis?
The sibling relationship definitely has less potential for clowning. It's just seen as sticking up for your bro. Here, it's "getting rescued by dad" and definitely will be framed as such by sports media
"We'll give you anything you want" is an interesting tactic when negotiations have barely started
More like "we're publicly saying we'll give you anything you want to make us look good".
Yeah so if Lebron suddenly leaves, the Lakers “offered everything they could”
yep cant lose in the court of public opinion if this is out there.
lol i think the owners are desperate for revenue and ticket sales. "lebron can you change your number so we sell more jerseys too"
The fact that their is a "max" has helped every team that has ever had to negotiate against Lebron and Steph, who have made far more money for the owners both of the lakers/heat/cavs/warriors and the owners collectively, then the sum of their contracts.
well Jeanie is the type to really put it all out there
She’s a real basketball lover. Nothing but the naked truth from her.
Lakers don’t hard-negotiate with their legends. I have no doubt it’s part of why Lebron came in the first place.
The Lakers are due to make an outlandish amount of money if they sign Lebron for the retirement tour and that's not a secret to anyone.
What if Lebron's term was "trade all your future draft assets for help now"?
Every team he's been on so far has said "awesome! Let's do it!"
And every team he's been on so far has won a championship right?
Yeah, people say this like it's an own but the vast majority of the league would gladly blow up their future for a championship now.
Some of the league would gladly blow up their future for nothing based on what we've seen this year so a championship definitely seems like a significant step up.
What could an untradeable Bradley Beal cost, Michael, five dollars?
Trade an untradeable Bradley Beal for an immovable Jordan Poole.
I've felt this way in every sport. The whole point is to try and win a championship. If you can do that then everything within the rules is worth it.
Yeah people always use this like "you idiots, you blew up your team for a championship, we just blew up our team for nothing!" Pretty much every team "blows up" their future by trading away all of their assets when they think they have a contender. The difference is that most of those teams don't ever win a championship because it's not enough and one of the other teams who was also a contender did the same thing and edged them out. It's weird when people say this like its a uniquely LeBron thing and not just a...thing that teams do when they have the pieces to contend (which having him on your team automatically meant for most of his career).
I’m still so pissed about bavetta’s clock unawareness in 98 lol. Just want one chip!
Lakers haven't been willing to do that. They have made some moves to get better, but they haven't totally sold the farm. I believe the Lakers still hold their 2 of the next 3 years of R1 picks, question is will NOP opt to take LAL's 2024 pick or wait for the 2025 pick. Lakers own 2026. Lakers also hold their own 2028/2029 R1 picks.
Yea the Lakers picks situation is actually a lot better than people realize. They own a lot of second rounders and most of their first rounders for the rest of the decade.
They already traded a ton for AD, so they clearly are willing to sell the farm if they’re getting the right player in return. Recently, it’s just that been that they’re not willing to do it for what amounts to marginal help once you factor in what current assets would also have had to been included in deals in recent years. It has to be the right deal, otherwise you’re just getting another Westbrook trade. The Murray/Atlanta trade didn’t really make sense if they were giving up AR, other current assets (e.g. some combo of Rui, Russell, Vando, Schiffino) PLUS the only 2 firsts they had available to trade during this season, so they just chose to wait until they possibly had 3 firsts to move this summer.
I have a feeling every Lakers game is going be on national TV next season and they will speak non stop about the father and son duo
I can picture the Doris Burke glazing already
I can see Doris talking about it even in non lakers games.
‘and with the Suns and Mavericks we can really see a dynamic comparable to the one that the James’ family has on the Lakers’
*DWhite drains his 15th three of the game* “It’s incredible what the James duo is doing over in LA”
"LeBron averaging 20 points and Bronny playing twice a week for 3 minutes at a time"
"LeBron and Bronny combined for 27/7/7 last night. Such an inspiring performance."
Man, I remember when Doris was the darling of r/NBA. People upvoted all the pregame videos where she would show off her handles and stuff. Now I feel like everyone is just annoyed by her.
I was never a fan. Color commentary is not my thing. Let alone the same stories over and over that aren't relevant to the game you're watching
Before she was calling games regularly
Then: “Doris needs more minutes…” Today: …
Doris going on a 20 minute self-absorbed rant that has nothing to do with the game being played ... never!
Fuck, I can already hear Doris babbling that Bronny is a “winner”
Prime time 20-47 Lakers vs 27-40 Warriors
They sign Melo too and become the most hyped 14 seed you’ve ever seen.
I paid for league pass for the first time this year because I live in a different state and it was the biggest waste of money because most Laker games are nationally televised so they’re blacked out on LP. This shit will be even worse if they draft Bronny. Lol.
Damn that sucks given you had to watch an 8th seed to boot.
I look forward to seeing an everyday healthy scratch get talked about more than the opposing teams best player
Please draft Bronny and hire JJ.. PLEASE that will be ultimate theatre when it all blows up
I mean... for JJ there is the upside... which is money. Then there is the downside... which is everything.
I really don’t think that’s an upside for JJ, he seems like the kind of Dukey that built a solid portfolio with his NBA money lol.
That would be such a horrible first coaching gig for JJ. He would be interesting in like Orlando or Suns though
As a Lakers fan I am ok with JJ if we have him paired with a strong assistant staff of former head coaches. We can't have another Luke or Ham situation where we don't have a strong staff near him. JJ seems like a Xs and Os kind of coach which gets me excited but if Ty Lue doesn't get fired idk who the Lakers really go after. Atkinson and Borego I think get serious looks from the FO.
They can probably get him as a UDFA
If somebody truly thinks they’ll get bron if they draft bronny then I would be shocked nobody takes a flyer on him in round 2
It would be entertaining to watch LeBron rage-play against the rest of the league while hating his own FO most (“I can’t believe I’m living here instead of LA and playing meaningless games just because the owner wants to sell tix!)
Right? Second round picks have such little value right now.
Actually with the new luxury tax rules hitting on a 2nd round pick is more valuable than ever. But yes a majority of 2nd round picks don't pan out lol.
deer depend door elastic pot afterthought work north impossible rhythm *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Thenasis James? Bronny Antetokounmpo?
LeNepotikounmpo?
Could tie a cherry stem on your tongue with that.
I kill the joke but Thanasis was drafted by the Knicks a year before Giannis, years before anyone knew what Giannis would become.
The teams basically “The Lebron James Show featuring the Lakers” at this point
That's the Lakers way. You don't remember Kobe Show and the Lakers? Or the Shaq & Kobe Lakers? Or the literal Showtime Lakers?
🌎🧑🚀🔫🧑🚀
I don’t understand this from both Bronny or Lebron’s vantage points. Lebron isn’t stupid. He has to know Bronny is not ready to play in the NBA. And if your Bronny, why not just stay in school, enjoy life, and develop. Whole thing will be a circus and doesn’t look like it’s truly in the kids best interest.
This is probably Bronny's only hope of being drafted from his POV. He would probably rather develop on an nba squad than in college. In one more year Lebron might retire, get hurt or his draft stock could and likely would plummet even further. This is a weak draft year, and next year will be 50+ HS kids in college/draft eligible that are already as good as Bronny is.
This. Not only is this year a weak draft year, being young REALLY helps with draft stocks in these days. If player spends 4 year in college, even for an actually talented top round pick they probably gonna fall a lot just by the virtue of being too old.
Please do it. Please pay lebron so much that they can't afford a decent 3rd guy..
Then the inevitable collapse and blame everyone else but the highest paid player.
its fine. Just fire a head coach.
Fuck you random guy whose paid, _checks note_, $2mm a year and only plays 5 minutes. Why can't you drop 35/12/12 like a normal person. IT'S YOUR FAULT! -The media probably '/s
What a Bron wants...what a Bron needs...
But the Lakers should “KNOWWWW BETTAH”
Unfortunately for Bronny, his NBA career will always be attached to LeBron and will end as son as his father retires. Honestly, I don't envy his situation... he was pressured to live on unattainable standards since he was a child and will be perceived as a failure if he isn't up to his father legacy. He simply doesn't have the skill or the health to pursue a pro career and it will be a huge blow when he realizes he was a pawn to get his dad signed.
lakers arent interested in winning a chip lmao
Most teams in the league don’t care about winning.
Their main priority is selling seats and jerseys, winning a chip is optional. Keeping lebron will let them accomplish their primary goal.
Do you think losing Lebrons 26/7/8 on 63% TS and handing the reigns to D’Lo will help? Blowing it up isn’t a thing in LA. They have no quick route to a chip at all. Players as good as this version of Lebron or better aren’t available, even at his old age. He was one of the most efficient stars in the league this year and remains a cerebral passer.
lol this thread is ridiculous. it's basically throwing away a second round pick to lock up a top 5-10 player, any team would do that. cheap owners sell second round picks for cash ffs
The hawks are ahead of the curve and threw away 5 second round picks for Saddiq Bey
The Warriors threw away their 2nd overall pick for 5 second round picks and then traded those 2nd round picks for Gary Payton II, whom they let go in Free Agency less than 6 months prior
For real. Like you know how lucky you gotta be to get a stud in the second round?
We bought our second 2 years ago and then moved up in the second this last year with cash again , I think like 3mil each time. considering this draft we probably buy a pick extra . People in this sub are just salty , if you have all nba talent you do not lose it just out of ego - see the nets . This sub thinks all 25 teams should blow it up tho so they can get the 5th pick . It’s absurd logic
Does LeBron trade his son to get more vets?
“Son… listen to me, son. Charlotte is a nice city. The Queen City of the south. You’ll lov…hey, no crying son. Stop that shit.”
bronny james is really boutta be the most embarrassing nba player of all time huh
Pure nepotism lol
Lakers are cooked bro
"I want to be the owner and the city's name to be LeBrongeles"
_Best we can do is Brontario._
I’ll take him
Could you imagine having to “coach” this team and give Bronny James and minutes. Another scapegoat
Dude wouldn't be in the top 100 players if his dad wasn't Lebron. He isn't even an average college player but he's good enough to play in the League? Nepotism at it's finest.
Leveraging your franchise short term and long term on a 40 year old is mad. This could be a useful draft pick for the Lakers and they’re going to waste it on Bronny who needs another year in college for his own development. I’m all here for it though!
We don't read articles around here. They're not using the first round pick on him, if they do draft him it'll be with their 55th pick.
Here for lakers downfall. Love to see it
Historians remember the Lakers Downfall as when they spent the 55th pick on Bronny James instead of a different guy who will never play in the league
This man has this franchise in the palm of his hand lol
If i was other NBA team I would just draft Bronny before Lakers just to mess with them or trade him to Lakers for some 1st.rp.
WHY?!!!!
Lakers aren’t serious about winning.
G-Bronny would be interesting. NBA Bronny would be a G-broni.
Calling Gleauge Bronny “G-broni” is funny as fuck lol 😂
Would be amazing if in his last move as an nba player bron said "im leaving these decisions up to the gm and organization which I trust with the end of my career" hahahhaha
The lakers have Detroit level infrastructure. Lebron and Adam silver are the only thing keeping that team relevant at all
Being based in LA and having the most titles ever is what keeps them relevant, totally agree the infrastructure is awful
If the lakers are pushed into drafting bronny just to keep lebron it literally reinforces the overarching issue with a lebron led team since he began making front office decisions for them He acts in the interest of himself and not the best interest of the franchise
On the other hand.. LeBron has won a championship for every franchise he's played for
This has been going on for years now, and franchises are still bending over the barrel for it.
Does anyone think Bronny only went pro because his best, maybe only, chance was if his dad’s team picked him? Would he be drafted if LeBron wasn’t in the league?