Getty Lakers potential draftee Bronny James.
Never in the history of the NBA draft has a second-rounder, a likely fringe Top 60 draft pick at that, drawn the attention that incoming guard Bronny James has gotten. The reason is obvious—he is the son of Lakers great LeBron James, and should he earn an roster spot, will be the first child of an NBA player to enter the league while his father is still active.
Drafting Bronny James, then, has appeal to teams beyond simply putting a fresh-faced 19-year-old on the roster. James can be a free agent this summer, and even if he re-signs with the Lakers as expected, he won’t sign a long contract and will be on the market again. He has said he would like to play as a teammate alongside his son, and the presumption is that whomever picks Bronny James will, sooner or later, make a run at signing his dad.
For the Lakers, that could be considered a threat. They want LeBron James to finish his career with the Lakers, and drafting Bronny would be one way to cut off the potential he leaves to wrap up with his son elsewhere. The Lakers, though, have the No. 17 pick in the first round (too early to pick Bronny) and the No. 55 pick in the second (perhaps too late).
According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, though, the Lakers could address the problem by pulling off a trade, dealing away No. 17 for two later picks.
Lakers Could Drop Down, Add 2nd-Rounder
Here’s how Fischer outlined it on Tuesday: “There remains a simpler scenario in which the Lakers move down from the No. 17 pick. The New York Knicks and Utah Jazz have made advances about combining their last first-round pick and second-round draft capital to slide up into the teens of this draft, rival executives told Yahoo Sports.
“Would Utah’s Nos. 29 and 32 picks be enough to entice the Lakers to fall back from their original slot? Both selections would afford Los Angeles an earlier chance to draft Bronny James, as compared to the Lakers’ current second-round pick at No. 55.”
Fischer did not mention the Knicks as a potential trade partner, but they could offer the Lakers either the No. 24 or 25 pick, plus the 38th pick in the second round.
The Bucks are another candidate for a move up, and could offer No. 23 and 33 to the Lakers for the 17th pick.
Bronny James ‘Can Play in the NBA’
Bronny James’ path to the NBA draft has been unique, of course, starting with last year’s cardiac arrest caused by a congenital heart defect that appeared to put his hoops career in danger. Jones was able to continue as a freshman with USC, and appeared in 25 games, averaging 4.8 points on a lowly 36.5% shooting (26.7% 3-point shooting).
A player like that usually has no business in the draft. And if he did, he would be hustling for every workout he could get. But Bronny James only worked out for the Lakers and the Suns, which has picks No. 22 and 59.
As draft analyst Jay Bilas told the New York Post last week: “He’s an unusual prospect in that not many guys that average four, five points a game as a freshman have 2 million social media followers. He’s somebody we talked about that, if his name had been Bronny Smith or Bronny Jones, we probably wouldn’t have talked about him that much, quite frankly.
“But very good athlete, and has a really good feel for the game. A little bit hard to evaluate because he didn’t have a compete season, he had that heart episode that really set him back. Without that, could he have performed at a higher level? I’m sure he could have. He’s not a big guard, he’s only about 6-1 or 6-2. But he does have long arms, and he defends well. I think he can play in the NBA.”
Will he play in the NBA … with the Lakers, though?