NBA Trades: These 4 offseason moves could transform the Lakers

4) Draft Bronny James

With LeBron reportedly wanting to play with his son, Bronny James, once he enters the NBA, the Lakers could and probably will find a way to make that happen. While he was initially seen as a lottery pick in the 2024 NBA draft, after averaging 4.8 points per game last season for USC, he will probably be a second-round pick at best. If that ends up being the case, the Lakers chances of getting him increase.

Although they are likely to have their first-round pick this year, with the New Orleans Pelicans expected to defer the pick owed to them until 2025, L.A. probably won't burn a top-20 pick on a player that they can get in the second round.

Still, they will have the 55th pick in this year's draft. Bronny James, who's projected by some mock drafts to not be picked at all, could still be available in that range. He may even be able to ensure that he lands in Los Angeles by opting against predraft workouts. That may discourage another team from poaching him and demanding an asset from the Lakers to acquire him.

Drafting him with a pick in the fifties would be worth it for L.A. in multiple ways. For starters, it would all but ensure that LeBron stays with the Lakers for the remainder of his career, possibly even for a couple of seasons. There is also the chance that Bronny turns out to be an NBA player—albeit probably not a star. Either way, that would be huge for the Lakers.