NBA champion Paul Pierce sees a possible scenario where his former rival, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, rides the sunset in Cleveland with his son Bronny.
“If [the Lakers] flame out and lose in the play-in, I would consider — if I was LeBron — being traded back to Cleveland for Donovan Mitchell,” Pierce said on the “Undisputed” on April 9.
“Donovan Mitchell doesn’t want to be there. We’re not seeing signs he wants to re-sign. Bronny gets picked up by Cleveland and Bron has his farewell world tour with his son in that last year. I can see a possible scenario like that happening.”
The Lakers are currently the ninth seed in the West entering the final week of the regular season. If they stay at No. 9, they will have a tougher path to contention.
The Lakers have done it last season, coming out of the play-in to reach the Western Conference Finals.
But this time, they will face a much tougher field in the play-in tournament.
The 10th-seed Golden State Warriors await them in the play-in opener. And if they survive the Warriors, they will face the loser of between the New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings in the other bracket to advance to the playoffs against the top seed of the West in the first round.