Bronny James says he's not paying attention to LeBron speculation - ESPN

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.»

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