Mavericks Interested in Bronny James Before NBA Draft; Nico Harrison 'Like an Uncle'

The Dallas Mavericks hold the 58th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft and continue to be linked to Bronny James, the son of LeBron.

May 14, 2024; Chicago, IL, USA; Bronny James talks to the media during the 2024 NBA Draft Combine at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports / David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks have a quick turnaround after losing in the NBA Finals before having to make decisions in the NBA Draft. They are set to enter the draft only with the 58th overall pick, which is the final selection. They have already been linked to Bronny James in numerous reports.

In a conversation with ESPN, Paul addressed recent rumors surrounding his clients, LeBron and Bronny. He made clear that LeBron is not going to force his way into playing with Bronny. It doesn't even mean he's going to re-sign with the Lakers if they draft Bronny.

"LeBron is off this idea of having to play with Bronny," Paul told ESPN on Wednesday. "If he does, he does. But if he doesn't, he doesn't. There's no deal made that it's guaranteed that if the Lakers draft Bronny at 55, he [LeBron] will re-sign. If that was the case, I would force them to take him at 17. We don't need leverage. The Lakers can draft Bronny and LeBron doesn't re-sign.

May 14, 2024; Chicago, IL, USA; Bronny James talks to the media during the 2024 NBA Draft Combine at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports / David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

There was prior reporting that went viral about the possibility of LeBron taking a veteran's minimum contract to play for the Phoenix Suns after it was reported Bronny would work out with the soon. Bronny is set to do a second workout with Phoenix. However, Paul made clear, LeBron is not going to sign a minimum deal to play for the Suns. "LeBron is also not going to Phoenix for a minimum deal. We can squash that now," Paul added.

Paul mentioned three teams when discussing other potential landing spots for Bronny: the Dallas Mavericks, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Toronto Raptors. When mentioning the Mavs, Paul highlighted the relationship general manager Nico Harrison has with Bronny, describing him as being "like an uncle." Paul also added the possibility that any of those teams could draft Bronny without bringing him in for a workout.

"There are other teams that love Bronny. For example, Minnesota, Dallas, Toronto. 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."

Bronny played 25 games at USC, averaging 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 19.4 minutes per game. He underwent heart surgery before the season, making it difficult to put much stock into his performance as a freshman. Understandably, that's why teams would like to bring him in for a workout, but Klutch Sports Group tends to be careful in scheduling workouts with teams unless they are very confident in them being a favorable landing spot.

Stick with MavericksGameday for more coverage of the Dallas Mavericks throughout the offseason.

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