Lakers’ Bronny James Taken by Las Vegas in Mock Expansion Draft

In a recent mock expansion draft, LeBron James son was taken late.

Jul 15, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9) competes against the Boston Celtics during the second half at Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images / Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

Since his entering of the 2024 NBA Draft, Bronny James has been one of the biggest storylines in the NBA. And rightfully so, as he’s set to become half of the first father-son on-court duo ever alongside superstar LeBron James.

James’ popularity also gained him some favor in ESPN’s mock expansion draft.

The NBA’s worst-kept secret remains is future expansion, which will likely start with both Seattle and Las Vegas, returning the Supersonics to their former glory and adding an up-and-coming sports city in the latter.

In part expansion drafts, sitting NBA teams were able to protect up to eight rostered players, with the rest up for grabs in a snake-style draft.

In ESPN’s recent simulation, James was selected No. 26 overall by the theoretical Las Vegas organization.

The third rookie taken off the board out of fourth in total, James’ making the move from Los Angeles to Las Vegas would be interesting for several reasons. There was already alleged draft interest from teams outside of the Lakers, but LeBron has also widely expressed interest in ownership, and more specifically Las Vegas.

ESPN's reasoning for the selection of James was simple: "a free look at a young player. No reason not to take it." And there's truth to that in the 6-foot-3 guard's potential. Despite a slow season at USC, James still offers an interesting combo guard who could play well from the perimeter and provide solid defense.

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