Bronny James made his NCAA debut for the USC Trojans last night as the Trojans fell to a shock loss against Long Beach State. Bronny’s quest to be drafted into the NBA is still alive, but could he end up playing on the Lakers after being drafted by the franchise? Bobby Marks explained how the Lakers could end up with Bronny and how the New Orleans Pelicans control that situation.
“What would be interesting is that we could get into the 20s and teams with multiple picks such as Indiana and the Knicks. Of course, we’re going to be focused on what happens with that Lakers pick. New Orleans has the Lakers first but can defer it until 2025. If that pick is at 23 or 24 and the Lakers have that, will they take Bronny James to pair up with his dad?”
Will a GM draft Bronny just to lure LeBron to their team? 🧐 @BobbyMarks42 doesn't think so. pic.twitter.com/ggO3hDCL4z
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) December 11, 2023
The final pick from the 2019 Anthony Davis trade is due to be handed over to the Pelicans either this season or next season, as New Orleans can defer the pick to 2025 if they want to. But if the pick ends up in the mid-to-late 20s, the Pelicans would rather gamble on the Lakers falling off in 2024-25 than settling for a late first-round pick.
If the Lakers can keep control of their pick, it’ll be a massive get for the franchise that could then be the favorites to land Bronny, thus ensuring LeBron James doesn’t have to leave the franchise to get his dream of playing with his son to be a reality.
Could A Team Draft Bronny Early Just To Sign LeBron James?
An assumption that many have made is that James could leave the Lakers in the summer when his contract expires and sign with whichever team ended up drafting Bronny to play alongside his son before retirement.
Marks thinks teams are unlikely to go that route, with Bronny expected to be available in the late first round, with his lowest projection coming in the second round.
“It’s hard for me to see that, especially if a team is picking in the top ten. Teams don’t operate that way, they operate how the board dictates it.
Bronny was once considered a fringe top-10 prospect by ESPN itself, but his health issues and the first few months of the NCAA season have firmly planted him as a late second-round prospect. Rebuilding teams would have little incentive to draft someone like Bronny just to get LeBron on the roster unless they want to make big money on ticket and merchandising sales.
James has previously said he will be okay if he and Bronny aren’t teammates, as long as he gets to play against him. If Bronny ends up on a team that LeBron doesn’t think he can compete with, it’s unlikely he’d drop the Lakers for that. Similarly, losing teams have good future prospects available in the draft to take instead.
A winning team could definitely throw a spanner in the works. What if the Knicks sign Bronny and finally convince LeBron to join his son? They would also maintain all the assets they’re loading up for a big swing player, so maybe they do that as well and go into next season as contenders? It’ll be very interesting to see how Bronny’s Draft pans out and if LeBron will follow his son onto a new team in the summer.
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