Bronny James has received more attention than any projected second-round NBA Draft prospect in recent memory. Such is to be expected when you’re the eldest heir of arguably the greatest player in NBA history.
The anticipation has been that Bronny will fall to the Lakers with the No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, uniting him with his father, LeBron.
A week out from the big day, Bronny’s agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, was interviewed by ESPN and said that Los Angeles isn’t his client’s only destination.
“LeBron is off this idea of having to play with Bronny,” Paul told ESPN. “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, [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. LeBron is also not going to Phoenix for a minimum deal. We can squash that now.”
The Lakers and Suns are the only two teams that Bronny has worked out for. Paul mentioned Timberwolves, Mavericks and Raptors are also interested in selecting the 19-year-old even if he doesn’t do a pre-draft workout.
What are the best landing spots for Bronny if he doesn’t end up with the Lakers? The Sporting News takes a closer look below.
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The Suns reportedly have an interest in drafting Bronny, but Phoenix only has one pick — No. 22 overall — in the 2024 NBA Draft.
The 19-year-old guard isn’t the best answer for a team that desperately needs to put win-now pieces around its core trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, even if those three would be great mentors for his NBA career.
Let’s take a look at a few more realistic options for James.
The Mavericks have been linked to Bronny a few times during the pre-draft process. His agent Paul recently said, “[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.”
That feels like a threat to Los Angeles, but Bronny would be a great development project for the Mavericks. Dallas is coming off of an NBA Finals appearance, and it’s not likely it will find an instant contributor with the last pick of the draft.
LeBron has a well-established relationship with Kyrie Irving and a well-known respect for Luka Doncic. Those two players would gladly mentor his eldest son and guide Bronny in the right direction to get his NBA career started off right.
Paul also mentioned the Timberwolves as a team interested in Bronny. “Minnesota would love to get Bronny in, but I don’t know who their owner is going to be,” the Klutch Sports CEO said.
The Timberwolves make a lot of sense from an on-court perspective. Veteran guard Mike Conley will be 37 next season, and even though he’s still as solid as they come, he won’t play forever. Conley would be a fantastic guiding hand for Bronny, who could develop into a useful player in Minnesota’s guard rotation down the line.
Toronto was the final team mentioned by Paul, who specifically stated, “[Raptors president] Masai [Ujiri] loves [Bronny]. They could take him without even seeing him at 31.”
With the Raptors’ rich player development history, it would not be farfetched to think Ujiri believes his franchise could be the place to maximize Bronny’s potential.
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Toronto had a hand in developing Kyle Lowry into a six-time All-Star and NBA champion. It also helped turn Fred VanVleet into an All-Star, NBA champion and one of the greatest undrafted players of all time.
With those two undersized guards on their track record, why could Bronny be the next diamond in the rough who finds his footing with the Raptors?
It’s surprising that Miami has not been mentioned as a potential destination for Bronny. The Heat have the No. 43 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, which is a prime range to take a swing on a high-upside prospect like James.
Miami is another organization that has a history of developing rotation players out of thin air. Just two years ago, it made a run to the NBA Finals with three undrafted prospects — Caleb Martin, Gabe Vincent and Max Strus — playing significant roles.
LeBron has a relationship with Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra after bringing two championships to South Beach. That duo would be more than capable of pushing Bronny to reach his ceiling of potential.
