Bronny James will enter next week’s NBA Draft as perhaps the most intriguing second-round prospect of all time.
The intrigue has less to do with LeBron James’ basketball prowess and more to do with that of his father, LeBron James. It has long been speculated that whichever team acquires LeBron James will have an advantage in signing James, who has the option to opt out of his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers and become a free agent.
Rich Paul, the agent for both players, tried to shoot down that notion on Wednesday, telling Jonathan Givony of Draft Express that Bronny and LeBron aren’t a bundled deal, and drafting Bronny doesn’t guarantee LeBron a contract, nor does not drafting him eliminate the contract.
He cited the Lakers and Phoenix Suns as examples.
“The Lakers can draft Bronny and LeBron doesn’t re-sign,” Paul told Givony. “LeBron’s not going to Phoenix on a minimum contract. We can kill that now.”
Paul: Bronny trained with two teams.
Paul named the Lakers and Suns because they are the only two teams Bronny has worked out with. The Suns have the 22nd pick in the first round and no second-round picks. The Lakers have the 17th and 55th overall picks.
Bronny doesn’t fit the profile of a first-round draft pick. A 6-foot-2 guard, he averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 19.3 minutes per game as a freshman at USC. He was benched in 19 of 25 games and his development was delayed after he suffered cardiac arrest the summer before his freshman year.
Yahoo Sports draft analyst Kristen Peek projects the Lakers to select Bronny 55th overall in her latest mock draft.
Will LeBron and Bronny play together in the NBA?
The idea of pairing Bronny with LeBron didn’t just come out of nowhere: LeBron has previously expressed a desire to play in the NBA with Bronny and at one point even declared that he would do so.
“My final year will be playing with my son,” James told The Athletic in 2022. “Wherever Bronny is, I’ll be there. I’d do anything to play with my son for one year. It’s not about the money at this point.”
LeBron later backtracked, saying in May that “young guys will decide what they want to do and how they want to pursue their careers.”
Bronny had this to say about the idea of playing with his dad in late May:
I asked Bronny James if it was his dream to play alongside his father, LeBron James, and he replied, “No, never. My dream is to get my name out there, make a name for myself, and go to the NBA. That’s the end goal for everybody here. I never just thought about playing with my dad… pic.twitter.com/jt6yZn0VkX
— Michael Scott (@MikeAScotto) May 14, 2024
“Yeah, I don’t really think about it,” James said.
It remains to be seen how this all plays out, with Bronny getting drafted next week being his first chance, but until he is drafted and signs with whoever James does, this storyline will continue to dominate the NBA offseason.
