NBA teams should not draft Bronny James with the assumption that they will attract LeBron James as a free agent.
The front office contacted LeBron's agent, Bronny James, or the Los Angeles Lakers star in the weeks leading up to the June 26-27 NBA Draft, and suggested that Bronny's pick would also include the senior James. You may ask if you can join. But LeBron's answer to that would be “no at this point.” According to Shams Charania of The Athletic:.
The “at this time” part of that answer could give teams enough leeway to consider creating an attractive situation for LeBron. And after Bronny's performance at this week's NBA Draft Combine, some clubs have already expressed interest in taking him in the second round.
However, the Lakers have re-signed LeBron, who will be a free agent after the 2024-25 season, and are willing to do whatever he asks. And the four-time NBA MVP is interested in moving to Los Angeles, especially if the Lakers add a head coach he likes and trade for another star who can play alongside him and Anthony Davis. All explanations are that he intends to remain in the country.
This season, the Lakers finished as the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference, defeating the New Orleans Pelicans in the NBA Play-In Tournament. They were eliminated from the playoffs in five games by the defending champion Denver Nuggets.
James has said in the past that he wants to play his final NBA season with his son and intends to sign with the team that drafted Bronny. However, he recently backtracked on that stance, admitting that while it's his dream to play together, it's not necessarily what his son wants. After the Lakers' season ended, he said playing with Bronny was no longer a priority for him.
Bronny told reporters at the draft meeting that he doesn't want to be known simply as LeBron James' son. He wants people to evaluate him on his own merits and his personal skills.
“Everything that followed my dad, people just try to associate me with all the accomplishments that my dad accomplished, and I haven't done anything yet,” Bronny said. “So there needs to be a gap between Bronny and LeBron. I just want people to know that my name is Bronny James and I am not identified as LeBron James' son.”
In his only season at USC, Bronny averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 25 games. He suffered a cardiac arrest during training and underwent heart surgery, causing him to miss the first half of the season, but was cleared to participate in the rest of the Trojans' campaign.
Bronny was medically cleared to participate in activities at the draft combine, where he impressed observers with his athleticism and shooting skills and performed well in scrimmages.
If Bronny is acquired by the Lakers with the 55th pick in the second round, questions about father and son playing together will be easily answered. Especially if Los Angeles needs to make a move, until they pick LeBron's son, which could be one of the biggest storylines on the second night of the draft.
