Getty Bronny James high-fives his father LeBron.
It’s no secret that LeBron James, the Los Angeles Lakers star, plans to play with his son Bronny James in the NBA. Perhaps, that could be with the New York Knicks. The USC Trojans guard was regarded as one of the best high school players in the nation but has struggled a bit in college, averaging just 5.8 points, 3 rebounds, and 2.6 assists, shooting 35.6% from the field. The freshman suffered cardiac arrest during a summer workout, so the struggles are certainly warranted.
Bronny is ranked as the No. 55 overall prospect, according to NBA.com. The 55th pick in the draft would land him in the second round. With the possibility of his father signing with whatever team drafts him, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a team draft him higher than No. 55. BetUS currently has the Knicks with the second shortest odds to draft Bronny at +800. The Los Angeles Lakers have the highest odds, sitting at +200.
James has a play option in 2024 and could hit free agency. If that does happen, he would have an opportunity to sign with the team that drafts Bronny.
LeBron James New York Knicks Rumors
James has never been one to hide how he feels. When he wants something, he’s typically expressed that. It was no different during this trade deadline as he made it clear to the Los Angeles Lakers that he wanted them to get better. The Lakers didn’t do that and it could’ve cost them one of the best players to ever play the game.
When the New York Knicks played the Lakers on February 3, James did things that made it seem like he might want to play in New York. He first responded to a tweet with a Statue of Liberty and king’s crown emoji.
James was then seen wearing a Knicks towel in his postgame interview.
LeBron wearing a Knicks towel for his postgame interview 👀
If all it takes for the Knicks to land James is to draft Bronny, that would be something they should look into. Having James for the last part of his career would also bring the owners money as Madison Square Garden would be sold out nightly with a Bronny and James duo.
Brian Windhorst of ESPN shut down the flirting and said that it was James putting pressure on the Lakers front office.
“He can just be like, ‘Oh, I just put a towel around my shoulders. What are you talking about? You guys are out of your mind,’” Windhorst said on the February 4 episode of his “The Hoops Collective” podcast. “But this is what he excels at. He computes all this stuff. Of course, he was cognizant and aware he was putting on a towel that said New York Knicks. Why would he mess with the Knicks? Because he was using the Knicks as a tool to pressure the Lakers.”
Should the Knicks Draft Bronny or Take a Flyer on a Prospect?
The New York Knicks currently have the 23rd pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, according to Tankathon. They also have the Dallas Mavericks pick at No. 18.
Fred Katz of The Athletic reported that the plan is for them to land a star in the offseason, so trading these picks could be in the works.
“The long-term plan remains to add a star to the core that’s already present, but the organization still does not expect that star, whoever he may be, to become available until this summer at the earliest, league sources tell The Athletic.”
However, if they don’t end up trading for a star, one of those picks could be used on Bronny. This is considered a weak draft, so drafting Bronny and possibly adding James in free agency to one of the best rosters in basketball would be ideal.
It’s a risk the Knicks might be willing to take as he could help them win a championship.