Could LeBron James land with the Oklahoma City Thunder?

The Oklahoma City Thunder are in the midst of a rebuild, it is still pretty cold outside at least for Oklahoman’s, and the Thunder have lost 35 games before the All-Star Break. As we sit here on a Monday Morning that feels like a drag, let’s sit back, relax, sip our coffee and think about better days.

Better days, like visions of LeBron James playing in Downtown Oklahoma City in the Paycom Center, or whatever it will be called at this time, alongside his son Bronny James dawning Thunder uniforms and leading the organization to the other side of this rebuild.

What has sparked this vision besides a lack of sleep, too much caffeine, and an endless amount of worrying about draft picks? A recent report that LeBron James would be willing to leave the L.A. Lakers to play alongside his son, Bronny.

Brian Windhorst put his name to the story, who has a long history with James, saying “LeBron likes L.A., he likes raising his family in L.A., and his post-career businesses are in L.a., but he has made it very clear that he wants to play with his son. If that situation is available outside of L.A., he will pursue it.”

LeBron James is willing to Leave L.A. to play with son Bronny, could that be with the Oklahoma City Thunder?

Bronny James is a top high school basketball prospect for the class of 2023, which would set him to be in the NBA in 2024 if he was fast-tracked to the League. In 2024, the Oklahoma City Thunder have four (4!) first-round picks. Their own, Houston’s, Utah’s, and the Clippers’. This is just one year that highlights the historic draft capital that Sam Presti has acquired.

So it sounds easy, right? No matter what the numbers, scouts, or value says, throw one of those four picks at Bronny James to ensure you get LeBron James in Bricktown! LeBron is conveniently an unrestricted free agent in 2023 with the ability to sign one of his classic one-plus-one deals to give him the flexibility to bolt to whoever acquires his son.

However, will that spot be Oklahoma City? It seems like a no-brainer, this is arguably the best player to ever play the sport we are talking about! The chance to land him in OKC, at any age, is appealing. Especially during an era of his game, that no matter how it looks on the court, will always be remembered fondly unlike MJ with the Wizards. James getting to share the hardwood with his floor, even if he plays like MJ with the Wizards, is enough to write roughly sixteen books about, and the Thunder have the draft assets!

The answer to if OKC is the destination for Bronny James, and thus, LeBron, simply comes down to Bronny’s future. I do not foresee Sam Presti “throwing away” a draft pick, selecting Bronny James over a prospect he likes more just for the sake of acquiring LeBron. That can change and would be exciting, but I think Bronny would need to earn the selection to land in OKC, which he likely will given his extreme talent.

Who is under contract for the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2024? Josh Giddey (club option), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (part of his max extension), Tre Mann (club option), Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (club option), Vit Krejci (club option), and Aleksej Pokusevski (RFA). As of now, the OKC Thunder have no dead cap figures on their 2024 books, the dead cap ends following 2022 when Kemba Walker and Kyler Singler roll off the cap sheet.

Watch out, NBA World! The most powerful man in Basketball might be playing in Downtown Oklahoma City in 2024!