Bronny James' Agent Just Made it a Lot Harder for Him to Get Drafted
By Cem Yolbulan
The NBA Playoffs are still ongoing with only four teams left but a lot of people have turned their attention to the 2024 NBA Draft, which will take place on June 26-27. Among all draft prospects, Bronny James naturally receives the most attention. Where he will end up, what it will mean for LeBron James' future, and how good he will be are questions on everyone's mind.
The widespread consensus for a while has been that Bronny will need time to adjust to the NBA game. He is only 19 years old and struggled in his freshman season at USC. Therefore, many expected him to spend some time in the G-League as a rookie. However, it sounds like his agent Rich Paul has a different plan for him.
Rich Paul Just Created a Big Obstacle for Bronny James
Paul, who also represents LeBron James, said that Bronny will not sign a two-way contract with a team after the draft. This means that they are looking for a guaranteed rookie deal and a spot on a 15-man roster.
This is a surprising development. It will certainly suppress Bronny's market in the draft as teams will likely shy away from giving him a guaranteed deal. It's one thing to take a flyer on him and see how well he will develop in your system. It's another to use a roster spot on him.
There might still be teams willing to take that risk. It could also mean that he is more likely to go undrafted now instead of being a second-round pick. Teams usually prefer prospects who they can sign to a two-way deal in the second-round of the draft.
This could also be a leverage play by Rich Paul. He may already have a team lined up for Bronny like the Los Angeles Lakers. By saying that Bronny needs a guaranteed deal, he might be discouraging teams from drafting him. Whether this was a smart move for the young man remains to be seen.