Bronny James will enter next week’s NBA draft as perhaps the most intriguing second-round prospect ever.
The intrigue has little to do with his own basketball prowess, but rather that of his father, LeBron James. It has long been speculated that whoever lands Bronny will have an edge in securing the services of 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 – tried to squash that idea on Wednesday. He told Jonathan Givony of Draft Express that Bronny and LeBron are not a package deal; Drafting Bronny won’t guarantee a contract with LeBron, and not doing so won’t rule it out either.
He used the Lakers and Phoenix Suns as examples.
“The Lakers can draft Bronny, and LeBron doesn’t re-sign,” Paul told Givony. “LeBron is also not going to Phoenix for a minimum deal. We can put a stop to that now.”
Paul: Bronny has worked for two teams
Paul mentioned the Lakers and Suns because he says those are the only two teams Bronny has trained with. The Suns have the No. 22 pick in the first round. They don’t have a selection for the second round. The Lakers are 17th and 55th overall.
Bronny doesn’t fit the profile of a first-round pick. Bronny, a 6-2 guard, averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 19.3 minutes per game as a freshman at USC. He came off the bench in 19 of the 25 games he played and saw his development slowed after suffering cardiac arrest the summer before his freshman year.
Yahoo Sports draft analyst Krysten Peek projects the Lakers will select Bronny with the No. 55 pick in its latest mock draft.
Will LeBron and Bronny play together in the NBA?
The idea of Bronny and LeBron being a package deal didn’t come out of the blue. LeBron has long stated that he wants to play with Bronny in the NBA and at one point also stated professionally that he would do so.
“My senior year will be played with my son,” James told The Athletic in 2022. “Wherever Bronny is, that’s where I’ll be. I would do anything to play with my son for a year. It’s not about the money at that moment.”
LeBron has since backtracked on that stance, saying in May that “the young man will decide what he wants to do and how he wants his career to go.”
Bronny had this to say about the idea of playing with his dad later in May:
I asked Bronny James if his dream is to play with his father, LeBron James. He replied, “No, never. My dream has always been to get my name out there, make a name for myself and get to the NBA, which is the end goal of everyone who is here. I never thought about just hanging out with my… pic.twitter.com/jt6yZn0VkX
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) May 14, 2024
“Yeah, I don’t think about it much,” James said.
It remains to be seen how this all plays out, with Bronny being called up next week as the first chip to drop. Until he is drafted and James signs with whoever he signs, the offseason storyline will continue to dominate the NBA.
