On ESPN’s “First Take,” sports media personality Stephen A. Smith said “King James” will not surpass or catch MJ’s title total. Smith said:
Smith said James seems more focused on playing with his son, Bronny James, in the NBA than capturing another title. (Bronny is a high school junior who is a college prospect.) Smith continued:
Will LeBron James leave the Lakers to win a championship?
LeBron James is under contract with the LA Lakers until the end of 2022-23. That means he will hit free agency in the summer of 2023 and have the ability to survey the NBA landscape. At that point, he can decide his next destination with the thought of going to a team that can draft Bronny James. Bronny will be eligible for the 2024 draft.
As things stand, Bronny is expected to be sought after in the second round of the draft. With the OKC Thunder having a lot of picks in the 2024 draft and James praising Thunder general manager Sam Presti over the weekend, perhaps he could go to OKC.
The LA Lakers are not going to contend for the championship this season unless there is a drastic improvement. So the onus will fall on Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka to assemble a roster in the summer competent enough for James to fight for a championship. That could involve making some tough decisions regarding players like Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook.
With James entering the final year of his contract, the Lakers will have to go all in as “King James” has shown this season that he is still an elite player.
Another possibility is that teams will try to draft Bronny higher in the 2024 draft with the the of enticing James. Either way, the chances of James winning another championship is still possible. That could be either with the Lakers or elsewhere.
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