LeBron James shook the basketball world during All-Star weekend. Amid the festivities, he suggested that he’d follow his son, Bronny, to whatever team he gets drafted to — and it got a lot of hopeful fans excited about possibly getting the father-and-son duo on their team one day.
It’s understandable that James would want to play with his son, but it was also a smart move on his part in securing Bronny’s future in the league. After all, how many teams would pass on the chance to pick up the James duo?
But in a recent talk on the “Pardon My Take” podcast, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban made no guarantees about picking up Bronny. In fact, he basically confirmed that he wouldn’t pick him up on name alone. For Cuban, it’s all about winning.
“I don’t know. I don’t know. It depends on the circumstances and how good Bronny is. Would I just burn (a second-round pick) just to burn it? Probably not. And again, we’ll have this guy named Luka (Doncic) who is really, really good. And so it would really depend on the team that we have around him.”
With Luka Doncic, the Mavericks are set up to compete for years to come, and the arrival of Bronny (and maybe his father with him) could upset the natural team-building process. For the Mavericks, and many other teams, Bronny will have to prove he belongs. He’s got the right genes, years of training from the best, and a pretty solid shooting stroke that has impressed various scouts.
Still, there is no guarantee how good he’ll become, where he will get drafted, or if he’ll even get drafted at all. It’s too early to make a call on if Bronny is truly NBA-ready.
Having polled several executives, Bronny James probably projects to be a second-round pick at this point, though it’s too early to say with any certainty. A team could reach for the son to lure the father.
Over the next few years, a lot of eyes will be on the Sierra Canyon High School star. If he’s even half as good as his dad, his arrival could change the fortunes of a franchise.
Either way, it will be interesting to see how it all plays out, and where LeBron plays to close his career. He is loyal to the Lakers for now, but it might not take much to get him in the same locker room as his son.
