Lakers' Bronny James Draft Plans Revealed

How Los Angeles plans to approach the availability of its leader's son.

Nov 19, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) shakes hands with his son Bronny James during the second half against the Houston Rockets at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports / Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

Aging Los Angeles Lakers All-NBA superstar LeBron James, who at 39 is the league's oldest player, may be making some unique history here in Tinseltown.

According to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report, Los Angeles is poised to select James' eldest son, ex-USC Trojans combo guard Bronny James, with one of its two picks in this month's 2024 NBA Draft, marking the first time a father-and-son duo would be playing on the same NBA team in tandem (or, indeed, the first time and a father and son would share an NBA floor in tandem).

The Lakers currently possess the Nos. 17 and 55 picks in the draft. Pincus cautions that the Philadelphia 76ers, long floated as a team hoping to poach LeBron James in free agency this summer (they could have a maximum salary slot at their disposal), has an edge in draft positioning across both the first and second rounds. Philadelphia has the Nos. 16 and 41 selections this year.

Following his disappointing freshman season, Bronny James would probably have gone unselected in a normal draft, had he not been explicitly linked to his dad's free agency. LeBron James has a $51.4 million player option for 2024-25, meaning he could decline it and become a free agent just in time for his year-40 season. LeBron James has in the past said specifically that he would head wherever his son is drafted, though recently he seems to have walked that claim back somewhat. Still, drafting Bronny to placate LeBron, especially in the second round, seems like a gamble worth taking.

It's not that Bronny James, a four-star recruit out of Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth, isn't without promise — it's just that it went somewhat unrealized during his lone NCAA season under Andy Enfield. In 25 contests (six starts) for the 15-18 Cardinal and Gold, the 6-foot-4 guard averaged just 4.8 points on a .366/.267/.676 slash line, 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 dimes, and 0.8 steals across 19.3 minutes a night. A defense-first guard thought to have a solid handle, Bronny James' scoring woes did him in at the college level, while his athleticism wasn't quite enough to help him stand out from the pack. To be fair, he was just 19, and were he anybody else, he'd probably stay in the NCAA for a bit more seasoning.

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