LeBron James shunned the New York Knicks when he made “The Decision” to join their fierce Eastern Conference rivals Miami Heat in 2010.
But James could find himself riding the sunset of his great NBA career with the Knicks in his favorite arena — the Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks are among the teams who could potentially land James’ son Bronny in the next NBA Draft, which could lead to LeBron moving to the Big Apple.
“[NBA teams] operate how their board dictates it,” ESPN’s front office insider Bobby Marks said on the December 11 episode of the “NBA Today.” Now what would be interesting here is what happens when we get into the 20s. Here certainly teams that have multiple picks — you can look at teams like Indiana [Pacers], the Knicks, of course, we’re going to be focused on what happens with that Lakers’ first [round pick].”
“Remember, New Orleans has the Lakers’ first but can defer until 2025. So, if that pick is at 23 or 24 and the Lakers had that, would they take Bronny James to pair up with his dad? But certainly, for those teams up in the lottery, it’s hard for me to see a team picking him just for the lure of getting LeBron there with him.”
James has a $51.4 million player option for the next season which he might not pick up if Bronny does not end up in Los Angeles. It’s no secret he structured his last contract that way for the chance to play with Bronny before he retires.
Knicks Taking Chances at Bronny James
Per Tankathon, the Knicks currently have the 15th and 24th picks while the Pacers own the 21st and 25th selections. The Lakers pick, which the Pelicans owns, is currently at No. 22.
In a weak draft, taking a gamble on Bronny with the hopes of luring LeBron would not be a stretch.
The Knicks could potentially work out a sign-and-trade for their two-time All-Star Julius Randle for a James along with some of their draft capital. It’s the blockbuster trade that will elevate them from the middle of the pack to the top of the Eastern Conference.
James slides to Randle’s slot in the Knick’s starting lineup with Bronny as part of the team’s bench depth. Tom Thibodeau would love the younger James’ defensive tenacity. At the very least, Bronny turns out to be a decent starter in the long term, if not a star like his father.
On the other hand, Randle returns to the team that drafted him and team up with his former Pelicans teammate Anthony Davis.
Bronny James as NBA Prospect
Bronny James successfully made a basketball comeback from a cardiac arrest last summer.
The younger James showed his defensive prowess in his college debut with the Trojans despite playing on minute restrictions.
BRONNY JAMES WITH THE BLOCK 😤
ESPN’s Draft guru Jonathan Givony noted the younger James’ ability to get over screens, contain opponents one-on-one and cover ground seamlessly for steals and chasedown blocks.
“He is still figuring out where to be in USC’s schemes, and gave up a costly blowby in overtime that led to a dunk, but overall he looked far ahead of expectations as a freshman playing his first college basketball game,” Givony wrote.
While his defense is ahead of the curve, Bronny has a lot of catching up to do on offense, which could be the reason why he is not a lottery prospect at the moment.
“Offensively, James is much more of a work in progress. He looked quite passive by relinquishing opportunities to push the ball in the open court, was overly unselfish moving the ball around the perimeter and simply wasn’t aggressive looking to score with huge swaths of space around him. Considering how long it has been since his last competitive game more than eight months ago, it’s understandable to an extent, but James showed similar traits in high school at times as he’s still figuring out how to put his imprint on games consistently,” Givony wrote.
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Knicks Among Potential Landing Spots for Dream LeBron-Bronny James Pairing