Former USC guard Bronny James' draft stock has risen significantly after struggling in his freshman season with the Trojans. The Los Angeles Lakers have been rumored to be looking at the 19-year-old with their second-round pick, although he could feasibly end up somewhere else as well.
Unless someone else takes Bronny in the first round, though, he's not interested in going anywhere else, via ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel.
“All indications point towards the Lakers ending up with Bronny James in the second round,” Siegel wrote. “There have been whispers that even though Rich Paul has shown a willingness to have Bronny workout for a few teams, there are many who are skeptical about their true intentions. That is why there is a belief that Bronny, or Paul, doesn't want to play for any team that isn't willing to take him in the first round.”
Siegel had the Lakers selecting Bronny 55th overall in his latest mock draft. This, of course, would pair him with his father LeBron James, which would create the first father-son duo in league history.
However, with Bronny scoring just 4.8 points per game on 36.6% shooting with 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists for the Trojans last year, it's hard to justify taking him in the first round. While that would be the ideal scenario for him due to the NBA rookie pay scale, it's much more likely that he'll fall to Los Angeles in the second round.
“Hence, this is why the Lakers at the end of the draft are viewed as the most likely scenario,” Siegel said. “If Bronny falls to the second round, his camp wants him in Los Angeles, sources said. The idea of trying to get Bronny into the first round is to simply create real draft interest in him when there isn't much to begin with.”
Even if there isn't much first-round interest in Bronny, could a team take a surprise swing at him anyway?
Another team could draft Bronny to force a trade with the Lakers
With LeBron still being an upper-echelon player despite his advanced age, another team could hold the Lakers hostage by drafting Bronny. LeBron has been vocal about wanting to play with his son, so they could use the younger James as leverage.
One potential squad that could go down this route is the Philadelphia 76ers, via Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus.
“If the 76ers decide that James is their win-now target, his son may be the means to an end,” Pincus wrote. “They have two picks in the 2024 draft (Nos. 16 and 41) and could use either to select Bronny, who is generally viewed as a legitimate NBA prospect but probably a second-round talent. If the Sixers reach for him in the first round or take him in the second round, the next step would be to convince the elder James to join Embiid and Maxey (a fellow Klutch Sports client) in Philadelphia.”
With Los Angeles being far away from a championship-contending team, the only thing that would keep LeBron there in this scenario is being close to the rest of his family. However, it would be tantalizing to spend the last couple of years playing with his son and a couple of legitimate stars on the East Coast.
No matter where Bronny ends up in the draft, expect the result to create a ripple effect on the rest of the league.
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