So much for Bronny James only playing for the Los Angeles Lakers or Phoenix Suns. Though the son of four-time NBA champion LeBron James has only conducted workouts with the Suns and Lakers, three other teams have apparently shown interest in Bronny leading up to the June 24th NBA Draft.
In addition to Los Angeles and Phoenix, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, James' agent, told ESPN's Jonathan Givony the former USC guard could be drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves, Dallas Mavericks or Toronto Raptors.
“There are other teams that love Bronny. For example, Minnesota Timberwolves, Dallas Mavericks, Toronto Raptors. If it's not the Lakers, it will be someone else,” Paul said. “Minnesota would love to get Bronny in, but I don't know who their owner is going to be. [Mavs GM] Nico Harrison is like an uncle to Bronny. If the Lakers don't take him at 55, Dallas would take him at 58 and give him a guaranteed deal. Masai [Ujiri, Raptors president], loves him. They could take him without even seeing him at 31. Workouts aren't everything for these teams.”
It's safe to say there's a bit of gamesmanship involved in Paul going public here. Why wouldn't he try put pressure on the Lakers and Suns—or any other franchise considering selecting LeBron's oldest son—to use a first-round pick on James by coming forward with additional teams supposedly prepared to draft him in the second round?
Paul, arguably the most powerful agent in the league, is denying the notion he's taking a different approach to Bronny's draft date than he would a more regular client's.
“If Bronny's name was Charles Jacobsen and he was my client — I would do the same thing: identify teams that have real interest,” he said.
Bronny James' stock leading up to NBA Draft
Bronny's stock has been a hot-button topic during the pre-draft process in wake of his forgettable freshman season with the Trojans. He averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 19.4 minutes per game, shooting just 36.6% from the field and 26.7% from beyond the arc. It's impossible to separate James' underwhelming play in college from not just the widespread dysfunction that plagued USC throughout 2023-24, though, but also the cardiac arrest he suffered last August that interrupted and ultimately delayed his prepared for NCAA basketball.
James impressed at the NBA Draft Combine in May, posting a 40.5 inch vertical leap and among the event's best marks in shooting drills. He played well in his second scrimmage, too. But it was hardly enough for him to re-emerge as a surefire first-round pick, all but ensuring James would likely have to wait to hear his name called in the second round of the draft—allowing for the possibility he wouldn't receive a guaranteed rookie contract.
Paul, however, seems adamant that Bronny will get a guaranteed deal despite the fact he probably won't be conducting any more workouts before draft night. Even the Wolves, Mavs and Raptors are unlikely to the get chance to catch James workout in person. Only Los Angeles and Phoenix have enjoyed that luxury to date.
“Lakers and Phoenix, that was it,” Paul said of James' completed pre-draft workouts. “There could be last-minute stuff, if someone calls me late. We'll see.”
He is adamant Bronny has no intention of signing a two-way contract, either.
“Bronny is the same as my previous clients,” Paul said. “I got the word out early to teams that if you plan on bringing Bronny in, here's what you need to know: If you won't give him a real deal, there's nothing to talk about. It's hard to get real development on a two-way deal.”
At 6'2 and a sturdy 210 pounds with a wingspan just over 6'7, Bronny possesses the physicals and dogged demeanor necessary to be a quality defender of both backcourt positions at the next level. The strength he's both built and inherited from his dad also make James a viable switch defender against forwards and even unskilled bigs in the NBA, ever key for role-playing guards to stay on the floor in the playoffs.
“Guys like Davion Mitchell, Jrue Holiday and Derrick White who excel in their role, get good money and get good playing time from it because they’re locked into that role and know what they’re supposed to do,” Bronny said of his NBA inspirations at the draft combine, per HoopsHype.
Those players present a reasonable, rough NBA archetype for James—combo guards who are at their best playing off a primary initiator offensively and make their most significant impact on the other side of the ball. But Mitchell was fazed out of the Sacramento Kings' rotation as a sophomore due to long-range shooting struggles, and White only reached his peak as one of the game's best two-way guards over the last two seasons with the champion Boston Celtics while leveling up from deep.
There's no realistic world in which Bronny replicates Holiday's scoring, finishing and playmaking dynamism at the next level. Almost certainly limited to serving as an ancillary ball handler, his ultimate success in the NBA will come down to the consistency of his jumper. Is James the subpar shooter who threw up bricks with the Trojans, or the projectable one who lit up the combine with a smooth, repeatable stroke?
That's the swing skill for James. We'll find out soon with which team he'll working to hone it over the next few years.
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