Lakers News: How LA Drafting Bronny James Could Inform LeBron’s Free Agency

Would it behoove the Lakers to target a player who's probably not going to contribute meaningfully on the floor?

Nov 19, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) daps up son Bronny James. / Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

Is Los Angeles Lakers All-Star combo forward LeBron James mandating that, should a team want his services this summer, it will need to draft his son, former USC Trojans combo guard Bronny James?

All the intel we've been seeing at All Lakers does not explicitly suggest that, but it certainly wouldn't hurt. Bronny James is not seen as a first round prospect, and in recent mock drafts has slid out of the second round, too, as a result of his underwhelming debut collegiate season while a backup for fellow draft hopefuls Boogie Ellis and Isaiah Collier.

During a recent appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show," ESPN's Brian Windhorst told host McAfee that he believes Bronny could be drafted by L.A. (which possesses the Nos. 17 and 55 picks this summer) in any effort to secure the services of his father, who could opt out of his deal for 2024-25 and become an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

“Anybody who says they know what’s going to happen with Bronny right now, they’re just guessing. Teams don’t know him.”

👀 @WindhorstESPN pic.twitter.com/bCMOTgpaev

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) May 14, 2024

“I don't think he's gonna be a first round pick unless somebody's making a move. But I will tell you, anybody who says they know what’s going to happen with Bronny right now, they’re just guessing. Teams don’t know him. Teams haven't [gotten] a chance to hear from him," Windhorst said. "You ask me that question in a month, I'll have a better answer for you. So yes the question is, 'Does drafting Bronny [give] you a chance to get LeBron? [Is] that something the Cavs or another team might consider?"

"But Rich Paul, his agent, is on the record as saying that that's not the case, that they're gonna try to get Bronny into a place where he can worry about his own career... that you draft Bronny, it doesn't mean you're gonna get LeBron, etc. etc.," Windhorst allowed. "We know what LeBron has said. LeBron wants to play with his son. I don't know necessarily that that's going to happen this year. I don't know if he would walk away from the team. I believe firmly he is going to end up back with the Lakers, and the Lakers are going to give him a contract he wants, and they're going to try to make a trade to improve the roster, and they might even draft Bronny. But we know LeBron wants to play with him."

Bronny James is fairly raw, and probably would struggle to crack an NBA rotation next season. But LeBron James could, technically, take the floor alongside his son, as teammates, which is something he has stated, repeatedly that he wants as he nears his playing finale. It will be interesting to see how Los Angeles chooses to proceed in next month's draft, and how much Bronny James will factor into team president Rob Pelinka's maneuvering.

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