EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — While the basketball world continued to wonder what LeBron James would do next as NBA free agency reached its third day with relatively little activity from the Los Angeles Lakers, it was business as usual for Bronny James inside the team’s practice facility Wednesday.
The younger James, who completed his rookie season a couple of months ago after being drafted No. 55 in June 2024, worked out with the Lakers’ summer league team that will complete in the California Classic in San Francisco starting Saturday.
LeBron, meanwhile, opted into the final year of a contract worth $56.2 million over the weekend, but that news came with a caveat. James’ agent and CEO of Klutch Sports, Rich Paul, told ESPN’s Shams Charania that the four-time champion would be closely monitoring the Lakers’ offseason moves to improve the team.
“We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future,” Paul told ESPN. “We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what’s best for him.”
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That statement has caused many around the league to question if James would ask for a trade if Rob Pelinka, Lakers president of basketball operations and general manager, didn’t upgrade the roster in a satisfactory manner. Paul clarified to ESPN on Monday that he had not discussed wanting a trade from the Lakers — although he also told ESPN that four teams contacted him about being interested in trading for James.
Paul said he did not engage in “substantive” talks with any of those teams, but his initial statement — combined with the Lakers’ quiet start to free agency — had caused speculation to run rampant about LeBron’s future.
Bronny, who has told reporters in the past he does not spend too much time on social media, could not manage to avoid the conjecture about his father.
“Actually, one of my friends called me, talking about where [I was going to play next season], what I was going to do because they saw my dad [in the news],” Bronny said Wednesday. “I didn’t see it. He called me. I was like, ‘Yeah, I have no idea what you’re talking about.’ … I don’t really pay attention to that stuff. There’s a lot of stuff going around that I don’t pay attention to.”
Bronny said he had not had much discussion with his father about the direction of the franchise and LeBron’s desire to stay or leave L.A.
“We don’t really talk about it much,” Bronny said. “I think when stuff like that does come up, he just tells me to not worry about it, to not even pay attention to it [and] just lock into what you have going on right now. And that’s what’s going to get me better and to keep me focused. I think it’s good that he tells me to not pay attention to that stuff.”
About an hour after Wednesday’s practice, free agent center Deandre Ayton, the No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft, agreed to sign with the Lakers, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania. On Monday, the Lakers agreed to sign forward Jake LaRavia.
“Obviously being on the team, I think we’re going come back even better than we were last year,” Bronny said. “We just got to come in here and come in the gym with a purpose and be ready to work every day and be ready to get better every day.”
The Lakers’ summer league team will be coached by assistant coach Beau Levesque in the California Classic and then by assistant coach Lindsey Harding at the Las Vegas Summer League. Among the practice participants Wednesday were 2019 first-round pick Darius Bazley and Cole Swider, who played for the South Bay Lakers in the G League last season.
Second-round pick Adou Thiero, selected at No. 36 in this year’s draft after the Lakers traded up twice to get him, was held out of practice because of his left knee and will not participate in summer league games, according to the team.
