LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers made sure there were some fireworks to replace the dud of a dunk contest during All-Star Weekend.
In an interview with Jason Lloyd of The Athletic, James made some headline statements about his future.
First, James declared that a return to Cleveland is not out of the cards.
And second, his last season will be played with his son, Bronny James.
These comments come during a mini media tour LeBron is on to seemingly put some pressure on the Lakers’ front office.
A 27-31 record and ninth place standing in the Western Conference surely does not sit well with James.
He recently turned 37 years old amid his 19th season.
While James has shown no signs of slowing down, “Father Time” is undefeated.
LeBron is averaging the most minutes per game since his last year in Cleveland.
Something that certainly will not help lengthen his career.
If the Lakers do not do something, and soon, LeBron’s future may find him in something other than the Purple and Gold.
James Leaning on Pelinka
One does not have to dig too deep to recognize James was not thrilled with the Lakers’ trade deadline.
General Manager Rob Pelinka opted to stand pat, not making any adjustments to a roster that has underperformed.
This is unlike a LeBron-James-led team at the deadline.
Typically, any possible trade chips are cashed in to bolster the upcoming playoff push.
Most notably, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported Pelinka declined an offer of John Wall for Russell Westbrook and a first-round pick.
Normally, this would not be a big deal.
Westbrook has not been great this year, and while he is often the poster child for the Lakers’ problems, is not the only reason LA is falling short of expectations.
There is also the fact Wall has yet to play a game this year, so who knows what he has left.
What was a big deal was one of LeBron’s tweets during the LA Rams’ Super Bowl parade.
Sports Illustrated tweeted out a picture of Rams’ GM Les Snead wearing a shirt that said “F—k them picks”.
This is in reference to the Rams sending out multiple first-round picks in recent years to bring in star talents like Jalen Ramsey, Matthew Stafford, and Von Miller.
James then quote-tweeted the SI tweet, commenting “LEGEND! My type of guy!!”.
It is clear LeBron is not happy with the lack of action by Pelinka at the deadline.
If Pelinka and the Lakers aren’t careful, their star forward could be gone sooner rather than later.
Father-Son Time
James’ front-office shots were more coded than his other statement about his son in the interview with Jason Lloyd of The Athletic.
“My last year will be played with my son. Wherever Bronny is at, that’s where I’ll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year. It’s not about the money at that point.”
It does not get more direct than a quote straight from LeBron himself.
LeBron James wants to play wherever Bronny is for his last year 👏 pic.twitter.com/GVLY09tn4Y
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 19, 2022
He made it clear to all 30 NBA teams: draft Bronny, and you got me.
Bronny James is currently a high school junior.
Under current rules, he would not be draft-eligible until 2024.
LeBron is set to be a free agent in 2023, so his next contract will almost assuredly be a one-year deal.
The NBA could change draft-eligibility requirements to allow players to come directly out of high school.
But NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in 2019 that change is still “a few years away”.
Whether Bronny is in the 2023 Draft or 2024 Draft remains to be seen.
What is already set in stone is that whoever drafts Bronny will also sign LeBron.
All sports takes aside, it will be cool to see a father and son play on the same team.
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