With LeBron James’ pending $51.4 million player option, speculations of him leaving the Lakers this summer are rife. But with Rob Pelinka hiring LeBron’s podcast partner JJ Redick as the new head coach and a possibility to draft his son Bronny James next week, chances of LeBron staying in LA seem likely. And even though his agent Rich Paul claimed that LeBron’s return to the Lakers might not be as certain as people think, media mogul Doug Gottlieb finds this statement hard to believe.

While it is expected that LeBron will likely join whichever team picks Bronny in the upcoming draft, Rich Paul revealed in an interview with ESPN’s Jonathan Givony that LeBron and Bronny might not come in a package deal, “There’s no deal that if LA drafts Bronny at 55, LBJ will re-sign. If that was the case, I’d force LA to take him at 17. The Lakers can draft Bronny, and LeBron may not re-sign.” Although LeBron’s dream to play with his son has been well documented, Paul claimed that the idea might not come to fruition next season.

However, addressing Paul’s statement on The Doug Gottlieb Show, the Fox radio veteran called the agent’s bluff, “I didn’t buy for one second this Rich Paul idea that Bronny James could go somewhere on his own outside of where his dad would go and that his dad is a free agent and could go anywhere to just play basketball.”

Moreover, one of the reasons the Lakers hired JJ Redick is because he has a healthy relationship with LeBron, and the four-time Champion respects JJ’s basketball knowledge as has been evident on their Mind The Game podcast. With that, LeBron also has his entire family well settled in LA, and it seems unlikely that he will uproot his life to go to another city. For those reasons, Gottlieb made a bold claim about LeBron’s future, “I do know that LeBron James will be wearing a Lakers uniform next year.”

Is Bronny James to the Lakers the next move?

As we head closer to this year’s draft, the Lakers’ recent moves are hinting that they might follow through on the idea of drafting Bronny at number 55. In any case, not many stars will be left on the table that late in the second round. So, Pelinka’s best bet might actually be to pick Bronny, which will further improve his chances of keeping LeBron in LA. With a new coach that LeBron has a good relationship with and a chance to fulfill his dream of playing with his son while staying in his current team, it doesn’t seem like LeBron will let this opportunity slip away from his grasp.

However, Gottlieb believes that drafting Bronny won’t increase the Lakers’ chances of bringing home a title next season. “I don’t think drafting or playing Bronny gets you any closer to winning a championship.” But realistically, no 55 pick in his first season will anyway impact a team’s chances of winning a title, unless they somehow turn out to be a hidden generational talent. Therefore, despite Rich Paul’s denial, we might see LeBron and Bronny wearing purple and gold next season being led by JJ Redick.

Before you go, do not forget to check out what Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato has to say about the alleged Shaq and Kobe Lakers beef. Keep checking this space for more such updates.