USC guard Bronny James has only worked for the Lakers and Suns during the pre-draft process, and there are no plans to have him visit any additional clubs, agent Rich Paul tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN.com. However, Paul spoke surprisingly openly about other clubs he believes are interested in his client.
“There are other teams that love Bronny,” Paul said. “For example, Minnesota, Dallas, Toronto. If it’s not the Lakers, it will be someone else. (The Timberwolves) would love to get Bronny in, but I don’t know who their owner is going to be. (Mavericks general manager) Nico Harrison is like an uncle to Bronny. If the Lakers don’t take him at 55, Dallas would take him at 58 and give him a guaranteed deal. (Raptors president) Masai (Ujiri), loves him. They could take him without even seeing him at 31. Workouts aren’t everything for these teams.”
According to Givony, sources from several teams have told him that they’ve attempted to schedule a workout with James but haven’t had any luck. Paul said that’s by design. He pointed to his track record of steering his clients (such as Talen Horton-Tucker, Brandon Boston, and Chris Livingston) to preferred destinations in the second round, getting them guaranteed money and a spot on a team’s 15-man roster.
“This is nothing new,” Paul said. “The goal is to find a team that values your guy and try to push him to get there. It’s important to understand the context and realize that this has always been the strategy with many of my clients throughout the years, especially those in need of development like Bronny. My stuff is by design.
“… Bronny is the same as my previous clients. I got the word out early to teams that if you plan on bringing Bronny in, here’s what you need to know: If you won’t give him a real deal, there’s nothing to talk about. It’s hard to get real development on a two-way deal.”
Paul also revisited the idea that Bronny and his father (and fellow Klutch Sports client), LeBron James, will come as a package deal, reiterating that there’s no truth to it. In other words, Phoenix should use its No. 22 overall pick on Bronny, hoping that LeBron will want to become a Sun.
“LeBron is off this idea of having to play with Bronny,” Paul told Givony. “If he does, he does. But if he doesn’t, he doesn’t. There’s no deal made that it’s guaranteed that if the Lakers draft Bronny at 55, he (LeBron) will re-sign. If that was the case, I would force them to take him at 17. We don’t need leverage. The Lakers can draft Bronny, and LeBron doesn’t re-sign. LeBron is also not going to Phoenix for a minimum deal. We can squash that now.”
LeBron still has to decide whether to exercise his $51.4M player option for the 2024-25 season. He’s widely expected to remain with the Lakers, whether he declines that option to sign a new contract or exercises it (possibly in tandem with an extension).
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