Yahoo Sports senior NBA reporter Vincent Goodwill is joined by Dan Woike of the L.A. Times to discuss the Lakers superstar’s approach to his looming player option and how his son Bronny James’ pro prospects will play in. Hear the full conversation on “Good Word with Goodwill” – part of the “Ball Don’t Lie” podcast – and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.

Video Transcript

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VINCENT GOODWILL: LeBron wants to play with his son. He wants to play with Bronny. LeBron is also in an option year. We haven’t had the discussion about LeBron as free agent or LeBron retiring. We just seem to think that LeBron is going to play forever, all right? Do you think that it is reasonable to expect that LeBron will entertain the thought of free agency after the season?

DAN WOIKE: Yeah. Yeah, I think he will. I mean, I think that’s– I don’t think he’ll go into anything without some level of calculus. This is what LeBron James is a master of, right? So he will survey the landscape. They will have, I’m sure, all sorts of really good information about Bronny, and if and when Bronny declares for the draft, where he’ll be selected, and if it’s a good fit, not only for Bronny, but then potentially for him as well.

I do think that it is not lost on anyone that history could also be made, not just by LeBron and Bronny being on the same team, but by playing against each other. Maybe it’s a little bit of a moving of the goalpost in terms of goals. But sharing an NBA court in itself is something. I think one thing that gets sort of lost sometimes when we talk about LeBron is he is in asset accumulation mode currently right now. LeBron wants to own an NBA team.

VINCENT GOODWILL: Yes, he does.

DAN WOIKE: This is what he wants to do. NBA teams are very expensive. And just because LeBron has $1 billion, that does not buy you an NBA team. And look, he will not own outright. Obviously, he will partner in some sort of A-Rod-style fashion. But turning down $50 million to go sign the mid-level exception with the other team would be the kind of thing LeBron James has not ever entertained in his NBA career.

VINCENT GOODWILL: I’ve talked to some figures in league circles who believe, for the right person, you will lower the minimums. And by minimums, I mean you will lower the minimums on what it would take to buy or purchase an NBA team as far as cash on hand.

DAN WOIKE: Maybe, for an expansion purchase?

VINCENT GOODWILL: I’ve heard it for both. I’ve heard someone inquire to me about an existing franchise and say, well, maybe Adam would lower the minimum of cash on hand because player X could be– or person X has that much equity into the league. And it wasn’t talking about LeBron. But LeBron is almost a much bigger figure than anybody, with the exception of maybe a couple of them. So I could see that being the case for something like that.