Bronny James is a legitimate prospect in the 2024 NBA draft.
This conversation should start there.
Sure, he gets a lot of extra attention for being LeBron James’ son, one of the only realistic answers to the long-running GOAT debates, but the 19-year-old has NBA traits and tools to offer. It’s just that what he brings (defense, IQ, shooting potential) isn’t necessarily enough to guarantee the pick he could be drafted with.
By B/R Jonathan Wassermanteams “seem unsure” that he’ll even be selected, but his name could end up being called much sooner than expected, if only for the possibility (however small) that drafting Bronny could be the key to convincing LeBron to leave the team. Los Angeles Lakers in free agency.
With that in mind, let’s examine five teams that might be desperate enough to draft young James sooner than the mock draft universe says he should leave.
Externally, the Chicago Bulls have appeared as logical rebuild candidates for a while now; but internally, the plan seems to move forward with the most competitive staff possible.
“Going into this offseason, my emphasis is on turning this program around,” Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas said. fiance at his end-of-season press conference.
Outside of a possible Zach LaVine trade, Chicago’s options to adjust this team are limited. If you re-sign DeMar DeRozan and Patrick Williams, it will be difficult to find financial flexibility. He has the 11th pick, but that’s his only pick in this draft.
Now, it’s hard to imagine any scenario where the Bulls would even remotely consider using that pick on James, but if they trade for additional assets or in the early part of the second round, it could end up on their radar, with the hope that LeBron would follow. Bronny to the Windy City.
It’s a long shot at best, but is it worse than running things with roughly the same roster and hoping to avoid what would be a third straight lottery appearance?
You could see the Bulls buying into this, as long as they want to make a major move that isn’t focused on the future and that the rest of the basketball world is still waiting for.
A critically important offseason for the Los Angeles Lakers hasn’t gotten off to the most inspiring start.
His top choice to replace former coach Darvin Ham, UConn’s Dan Hurley, rejected his advancesand so? it’s not entirely safe where they will go next.
People have disputed the franchise’s willingness to spend and he asked himself whether the coaching vacancy is as attractive as the Lakers’ brand would have you believe.
And beneath these frustrations and shame lies nothing less than an apocalyptic scenario: LeBron rejecting his $51.4 million player option look for greener pastures and better championship odds elsewhere.
Los Angeles can live with some egg on its face from Hurley’s rejection, but losing LeBron would be a devastating blow. Whatever hopes the Lakers have for next season (and they’re almost always sky-high in Hollywood), they all revolve around convincing him to stay and building something substantial around him.
There is probably no better recruiting proposition than giving you the opportunity to fulfill a dream. Los Angeles almost certainly wouldn’t draft Bronny at No. 17, but if you view the Jameses as a package, you might not be able to wait until the No. 55 pick to see if the legacy prospect is still on the board. . That’s a batch of opportunities for rival organizations to come into action and ruin the strategy.
The Lakers could avoid that problem by moving up the draft board and into a range where no one has Bronny. It might take a couple of sweeteners to get this high, but the increased confidence in LeBron staying would arguably be worth it.
Philadelphia’s 2023-24 season fell short of expectations, but it also opened the door to a summer productive enough to make the 2024-25 campaign a dream come true.
However, the Sixers have a lot of work to do between now and then, such as essentially building a complete list around Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey (a restricted free agent). That’s an absurd amount of flexibility for a heavyweight championship contender (“when healthy” the asterisk always applies), but it only matters if they can use him to add impact players.
“This offseason is important,” Philadelphia president Daryl Morey said. told reporters. “I owe it to the fans, to the owners, to everyone, to have gotten this team to a place where we are competing for championships.”
For as much flexibility as the franchise has, there are not many ways to reach the elites. This group of free agents lacks stars, especially if Paul George re-signs with the Los Angeles Clippers. as many expect. The commercial market could It will be interesting, but much of the noise on that front comes from teams looking to add, not subtract.
The Sixers have already been linked to LeBron, so it’s fair to assume they’ve also considered linking up with Bronny. They have the 41st pick, which is before they make fun of James.
It’s conceivable they could climb even higher if they felt the younger James would help them land the older one.
The Phoenix Suns are functionally stagnant: on the second platform, lacking control over nearly all of their future draft picks and fall short of both the median salaries and sweeteners needed to trade for reliable role players.
Phoenix, for what it’s worth, seems happy with your position. And there are worse fates than being tied to a roster that includes Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.
Still, the Suns, who need to win big right now to justify the investment in this group, are coming off a 33-loss season and a first-round exit. This roster may need reinforcement, but it will be incredibly difficult to do so.
Unless, of course, LeBron was willing to sign for very little money for a chance to play with his son. It is a possibility that he had not previously ruled out.
“I will play my last year with my son,” he told The Athletic newspaper. Jason Lloyd in 2022. “Wherever Bronny is, there I’ll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for a year. At that point, it’s not about the money.”
Anyone not worried about money should immediately end up on the Suns’ radar, and the possibility of LeBron joining forces with Durant (not to mention Booker and Beal) sounds like basketball brilliance.
Bronny could even make his mark as a perimeter stopper early on, and given Phoenix’s overall lack of youth, he could be more committed to his long-term development than most teams.
Spending the 22nd pick on young James isn’t realistic, but the Suns could try to move back 10 or 15 spots to pick him up and add something to their effectively nonexistent collection of assets.
The Utah Jazz, not even two years since the Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell trades, apparently have reason to stick with the slow and steady plan to build a contender.
There’s just one catch: Star forward Lauri Markkanen, who turned 27 in May, is right in the middle of his prime and may not want to wait for slow and steady development.
And that could matter a lot to the Jazz, as he needs a new contract between now and next summer, and “they intend to build around him,” according to The Athletic report. Tony Jones.
Utah needs more talent to win now if the goal is to compete next season, and while Bronny can’t do it, his father obviously could. And if you want to connect some dots like that old Brian Windhorst memesYou might take note of the fact that the Jazz are said to be looking for stars, according to HoopsHype. Michael Scottoand “might be interested” in taking Bronny with the 32nd pick,” according to Yahoo Sports Kristen Peek.
Adding both James could be ideal for the Jazz. They would get their star without destroying their collection of assets, which is vital as they may not have enough to compete at a high level yet and could have to pivot towards a longer rebuild at some point.
Or maybe a LeBron plus Bronny package could spur this franchise to make more moves. Certainly has enough draft picks for virtually anyone to pursue in the commercial market.
Add the right amount of internal development to this young roster and Utah could produce next season’s most surprising contender.