Bronny James Just Got One Step Closer to Becoming a Laker

Bronny James' potential NBA arrival this summer is one of the biggest storylines surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers right now. His father, LeBron James, has made it clear he wants to play with his son at some point before he hangs his sneakers up, and Los Angeles could appease its leading star by landing Bronny in the draft or shortly thereafter.

However, there's been some uncertainty around Bronny's draft availability, as he had the option to pull out and return to college before the eligibility deadline.

Well, the latest update on Bronny has officially put him one step closer to wearing the purple and gold.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Jonathan Givony report Bronny is, in fact, staying in the NBA Draft pool and forgoing his remaining college eligibility. The insiders note the former USC guard "had a strong pre-draft process" and now has gone from "fringe to draftable prospect," which has sealed his decision.

This is certainly a major development for the Lakers' offseason. It's clear Bronny being drafted is no longer something teams just do to lure LeBron if he's being taken seriously now as a prospect.

The news of Bronny staying in the draft arrives on the heels of his serious reported interest around the league. Ten teams requested workouts with the guard, but he ultimately accepted just two invites: one with the Lakers, and one with the Phoenix Suns.

With Bronny's draft entrance official, Los Angeles now needs to determine its course of action. Drafting Bronny likely wouldn't require much investment given he's mocked as a late second-round pick at this moment, but that could always change in the lead up to the event. Luckily LA owns the No. 55 selection this year, which is the perfect spot to take a chance on the son of LeBron.

Or, GM Rob Pelinka may opt to pass on Bronny for now in order to use the No. 55 pick as extra trade capital to acquire a star. That would have a bigger present-day impact on this team than selecting a developmental talent like Bronny, assuming LeBron isn't set on playing with him right away.

It likely wouldn't be worth the risk of another contender drafting Bronny, however, and giving LeBron an obvious next landing spot, so Pelinka may need to resist the temptation to trade that second-rounder this offseason.

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