Bronny James Has A Surprise Suitor in NBA Draft
By Cem Yolbulan
The NBA Playoffs are ongoing but teams that have already been eliminated have turned their attention to the 2024 NBA Draft. With the draft combine taking place this week, teams are evaluating the prospects with hopes of bolstering their roster during the NBA Draft, scheduled on June 26-27.
One of the biggest storylines in the draft is Bronny James and where he ends up. The Los Angeles Lakers have long been considered the favorites to land the USC guard as a way to convince LeBron James to stay in LA. Giving LeBron a chance to play with his son, something he has always expressed a desire for would put the Lakers in the driver's seat to retain LeBron.
However, it looks like the Lakers will face competition from the rest of the league. According to Krysten Peek of Yahoo Sports, the Utah Jazz in particular are interested in drafting Bronny.
Utah Jazz Emerging As Bronny James Suitor in the 2024 NBA Draft
The Jazz have expressed interest in bringing Bronny James in for an individual workout and could be interested in him with the 32nd pick, sources told @YahooSports.
— Krysten Peek (@krystenpeek) May 16, 2024
Other possible landing spots for Bronny (and maybe LeBron). ⬇️https://t.co/3Zgg0q7MK8
Bronny James is considered to be a second-round prospect. There is a possibility that a team might reach for him early because this draft class is one of the weakest classes we have seen in recent memory.
The Utah Jazz, who have an endless well of draft picks due to the ones they acquired in the Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert trades, are understandably interested in Bronny.
They wouldn't care about taking a flyer on Bronny using one of their many draft picks with the hopes of getting more national attention and potentially landing more star power. Whether that would be enough to lure LeBron to Utah is another question.
James struggled in his freshman season at USC. His shot wasn't falling and the Trojans were a complete disaster overall. It's important to remember, however, that he suffered cardiac arrest in the preseason, keeping him sidelined for months while he recovered. Now, he is healthy and cleared to play.
The team that selects him will likely keep Bronny on a two-way contract to start. He needs more playing time and he could get that in the G-League. This could help prop up the visibility of the G-League affiliates and provide additional financial benefits for teams.
If the Lakers want to make sure they land Bronny, they either have to trade up ahead of Utah's No. 32 overall pick, or make a deal with the Jazz. It seems like the Jazz will have plenty of leverage in those negotiations.
More Lakers news and rumors:
feed