Lakers Reported Plan For No.17 Pick Could Affect LeBron James’ Decision

The Los Angeles Lakers are looking for ways to improve their roster and all scenarios count. Jovan Buha from The Athletic reported that he Lakers are actively shopping their No.17 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. They will try to bring more talent to LA and pair great players with LeBron James.

“The Lakers are going to look to move that No. 17 pick on draft night,” Buha said on “Buha’s Block” on May 10. It will be the first time that they could use all three of their tradable first-round picks and it’s a prime opportunity for them to potentially get either a third star or to improve the roster by attaching one, two, or three of those picks alongside players under contract to upgrade the starting lineup or the bench.”

LeBron has to make a decision on his $51.4 million player option by the trade deadline on June 29. The NBA Draft will take place June 26-27, so yes, LA will make a move sooner or later.

“LeBron’s future will I think in part be determined by what the Lakers do around the draft and how aggressive they are and what upgrades they can make,” Buha said.

Lakers to use the No.17 pick to make LeBron stay

The Lakers can trade for a big name in the offseason. They have shown interest in Trae Young, Donovan Mitchell, Dejounte Murray, Kyrie Irving and many others. LeBron wouldn’t mind playing with any of these players.

When it comes to LeBron’s contract situation with the Lakers, the four-time NBA champion plans to retire as a Laker. The front office may bring all the assets they need to increase their chance to win a title. Adding a no-trade clause to LeBron’s new deal makes sense, per reports.

“To be clear, from everything we’ve reported at The Athletic and everything I’ve heard, the Lakers are willing to give LeBron whatever type of contract he wants and he intends to stay and retire as a Laker.

“So, I do think they are going to figure things out. There will be a contract in some form, be it him opting in and extending later or just him simply re-signing. But I think a part of that will be the coaching search and how that plays out as well as what upgrades the Lakers can make to this roster to make this team more competitive next season.”