The NBA's offseason hasn't even properly begun, and already the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers have been in the thick of the action. To the credit of the Suns, they moved quick to secure a new head coach in Mike Budenholzer, and look set to bring back Royce O'Neale on a new deal as well.
With more assets than most realize to get better in both the short and long term, there is still reason to believe that good times are coming to The Valley. The same cannot be said for the Lakers right now, with news reaching the masses that Dan Hurley - UConn head coach and their top target for their own head coaching job - intends to turn them down to go back to the college game.
Actively turning down The King, Anthony Davis and the most storied franchise in basketball is a disaster for the Lakers, and it may make James think twice about his future.
With no clear front runner for that job ahead of what could be the final season of LeBron's career - the JJ Redick rumors always seemed wide of the mark although they won't go away - he could look to an established and winning head coach like Budenholzer as the man to hitch his wagon to in order to try and win one more ring.
“Bronny James has over 10 workout invites… I’m told he’s only going to visit a couple of those, and that’s going to include the Lakers and the Phoenix Suns” 👀@ShamsCharania with the latest on Bronny James pic.twitter.com/DlvjeM7tAT
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) May 28, 2024
Crazy as it sounds, there are also several reasons why James should actually seriously consider doing this as well. He'd have to take the minimum to head to Phoenix - not that money is an option for a player who will likely own a franchise in the next decade - and right now the idea of playing with Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal is at least as appealing as suiting up with Davis.
The friendship between James and Durant goes back a long time, with the pair famously working out together in the summer of 2011 before meeting in the NBA Finals the following season. They're close, and the idea of playing one season together before riding off into the sunset sure sounds fun for both of them.
Heading off to the Olympics with Team USA in the coming months to get a taste for what that could look like would be no bad thing either. Although this would be getting an old group together, even most Suns fans would have to admit it could be fun for one season. If Chris Paul could also be convinced to come back on the minimum, it would be an old folk's home type reunion.
Both James and Paul would still represent better depth than the Suns can realistically hope to get by using the minimum elsewhere, with players like Bol Bol, Drew Eubanks and Eric Gordon the calibre of individual they were able to attract last time out. A lot has changed in a year, and the Suns are no longer looked at as one of the favorites out West.
The other shadow looming over all of this is LeBron's son Bronny James Jr., who has already worked out with the Suns as well as the Lakers. If the Suns were to take him with the 22nd pick this summer - a rumor that was building some momentum a couple of weeks back - surely James would also love to team up with his son before retiring as well?
All because the Lakers couldn't get their man, in what is not a good look for that organization. Hurley is one of the brightest minds in basketball - and although the transition from college to the pros has not always gone well - it is the fact he shot them down altogether that should give James a massive cause for concern. Why not move an hour down the road to Arizona for a bit then?