LeBron James endured a poor season as the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference first-round playoff series. The NBA legend does have a player option to extend his current deal with LA Lakers but he will be an unrestricted free agent if he doesn’t take up that option.
He has been linked with a number of NBA teams and Phoenix Suns have emerged as a potential destination. It has been reported that the Suns will try to pick Bronny James through their first round draft and will try to lure LeBron to follow his son.
LeBron revealed his desire to play with his son at least once before his retirement and the Phoenix Suns want to cash in on this opportunity.
Eminent NBA journalist Evan Sidery revealed that the Suns will likely pursue Bronny in a bid to get his father alongside him. He posted on X, “The Suns are hoping to pursue LeBron James this offseason, which is why Bronny James is a very serious draft option at No. 22 overall to potentially lure him in.
“Phoenix appears to believe they can convince LeBron to join forces with Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal to create a historic superteam.
“LeBron would be sacrificing almost $50 million next season, if he were to legitimately consider joining the Suns on a veteran’s minimum contract.
“Could the Suns really be plotting LeBron and Bronny as their big plan? It certainly seems that’s on the table.”
LeBron’s player option is reported to be worth $51.4 million and he needs to forego a huge sum as the Suns won’t have the financial capacity to afford him. Their current payroll stands at a staggering $209 million.
The only way they can take the NBA legend is if LeBron joins for a veteran minimum as they won’t have the mid-level tax exception. It remains to be seen how LeBron takes up his chances in the offseason.