Lakers' Chances at Drafting Bronny James Take Another Hit

With the 2024 NBA Draft on the horizon, the draft rumors and reports are at a fever pitch for multiple prospects, including USC guard Bronny James.

James, who is viewed as a second-round pick by many, is one of the most polarizing prospects in the class since he’s the son of NBA great LeBron James. Bronny had a quiet freshman year at USC but has started to make some noise during the pre-draft workout process, which could lend itself to him being drafted in the late first or early second.

Most fans and analysts believe the Lakers would take James at either Nos. 17 or 55 in the draft, in the hopes of keeping LeBron in the purple and gold despite the team looking for a new head coach. 

However, there’s another team lurking in the Western Conference that could take Bronny and shake up the Lakers’ offseason plans.

Bronny James reportedly worked out for the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, per Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. James worked out with multiple players, but he had a strong showing as the Suns tested the prospects on a variety of drills, which focused on shooting.

It’s not shocking to see the Suns bring in the son of LeBron James as it’s been reported that Bronny would work out for Phoenix and the Lakers after opting against workouts with several other teams.

The Suns have the No. 22 overall pick in the first round, which is five picks after LA. Phoenix could use Bronny for depth purposes, as they didn’t have a lot of young talent off the bench this season.

At the same time, with the Lakers seemingly putting all their eggs into Dan Hurley’s basket as their next head coach, it’s possible that the Lakers could still take Bronny. However, there’s a chance that LeBron might not be on the team if he wanted JJ Redick to be the next head coach in LA.

Outside of the lottery picks, it will be interesting to see where Bronny goes because that could affect how the NBA offseason plays out for the Lakers and the other teams in the league.

More Lakers news and analysis: