Los Angeles Lakers have set ‘real’ demand to trade Bronny James amid LeBron James free agency

For anyone thinking the LA Lakers would just let Bronny James go for nothing, think again, as they want to keep him.

With LeBron James leaving the Los Angeles Lakers to become a free agent, many expected his next team to trade for Bronny James without hesitation.

The conjecture surrounding Bronny is that the Lakers drafted him because of LeBron, and did not really want him. But two years into his NBA career, they’ve changed their tune.

Bronny James has a ‘lot of supporters’ within LA Lakers, will only trade him for ‘real’ offer

When speaking to 97.1 The Fan radio station, Los Angeles Lakers insider Khobi Price revealed that Bronny James being traded to LeBron James’ next team shouldn’t be considered a formality.

Price added that several officials within the Lakers organization are happy with how James has developed, and would not give him up unless they got a legitimate offer for him.

“If LeBron chooses X team, what if X team is willing to send the Lakers a second-round pick for Bronny James? That would automatically put Bronny James as the most likely player (to be traded).

“The Lakers are more than happy to keep Bronny James. They developed him, they’re a fan of him, and he has A LOT of supporters in the building.

“It’s not going to be one of those situations where they’re just going to send Bronny to wherever LeBron goes. It would take something real for the Lakers to want to trade him….”

Los Angeles Lakers could leverage Bronny James to restock their draft capital

In the aftermath of LeBron James’ departure, along with the exit of several notable stars like Rui Hachimura, Marcus Smart, and Luke Kennard, the Los Angeles Lakers revamped their roster.

One of their biggest moves was to complete a sign-and-trade for Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler, whom they gave up their remaining first-round draft picks for.

As a result, the Lakers just have a few second-round picks available to them. While Bronny James might not get them any first-round picks, the Lakers could demand one or more second-round picks.

Teams will see the prospect of landing Bronny as a two-for-one, as it would also enable them to secure LeBron James’ services.

While not nearly on the same scale, it could be compared to the LA Clippers giving up a treasure trove of assets to land Paul George so they could secure Kawhi Leonard’s signing in 2019.

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