The Lakers reportedly want LeBron back ‘for whatever term he wants.’ Including possibly Bronny’s writing.

The Lakers’ top priority this offseason is getting LeBron James back.

They want LeBron back on whatever terms he wants, which is something ESPN’s Dave McMenamin explained on the Rich Eisen show this week. (Los Angeles can offer LeBron up to three years and $164 million; no team can offer more than three years due to the over-38 rule.)

“The Lakers intend to have LeBron James return for whatever term he wants, whether it’s a one-year, two-year, three-year deal, whatever. and gold until he gives up, whenever that may be.”

That’s a basketball decision — he was the Lakers’ best player, their leading shot maker and is still playing at an All-NBA level in his age-39 season. More than that, he was the barometer of the team’s energy – when LeBron turned on his jets for part or all of the game, the level of play of every other member of the team rose with him.

This is also a business decision – LeBron helps fill the seats at the Crypto.com Arena, sells sponsorships, attracts television audiences and is still the biggest player brand in the sport. No matter what the Lakers pay LeBron, he is worth more than the money he generates for the club.

If one of the terms for LeBron’s return is calling up his son Bronny James, the Lakers are open to that, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The Lakers would not use their No. 17 first-round pick on Bronny, which would be too high for a player scout said NBC Sports has potential but is not yet NBA ready and would need years of development (the Lakers want trade that pick to a player who can help now). The Lakers also have the 55th pick and could advance to get another pick in the second round.

Is this what’s best for Bronny and what he wants? These are the real questions he and his family/representatives need to answer. He could spend time developing with an NBA team (i.e. G-League games), or he could use the transfer portal to go to another college and improve his game there with more running, and perhaps more in his traditional role. of shipowner. I couldn’t play at USC next year.

The bottom line is that if LeBron really wants this to happen, the Lakers will move heaven and earth to make it happen and keep him in the group. That’s why Tyronn Lue’s name keeps popping up in Lakers coaching search discussions when he’s still under contract with the Clippers — that’s LeBron’s guy. (If you think Steve Ballmer and the Clippers are going to let Lue out of his contract so he can coach their hometown rivals, you probably think birds are not real either.) LeBron won’t actively participate in this coaching search, but you can be sure the Lakers wouldn’t
hire anyone he rejected.

LeBron has historically used this free agency leverage to get the changes he wanted to see in an organization, and while he may be more distant now than he has been in the past, the Lakers are acutely aware that they are trying to make him happy.