Nine months after Bronny James suffered a horrible cardiac arrest ordeal at Galen Center, the ‘NBA Fitness to Play’ panel has “medically cleared” him to play in the league. Since the NBA Draft is just a few weeks away, the murmurs of LeBron James’ eldest son landing a second-round spot have gained further steam. In that wake, Shams Charania joined the chorus of experts who predict that Bronny will be picked in the second round of the 2024 draft despite an underwhelming freshman season with the USC Trojans.
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Charania is confident that an NBA squad will be willing to take a gamble on the USC guard on draft night. “From everything I have heard from teams, from people around the league, it’s not really a question of, ‘If he is going to be drafted’, it’s about where and when and in what situation,” Charania told co-host Michelle Beadle.
On his Run It Back pod, the NBA insider further stated that even if Bronny James is picked late, he can still carve out a viable contract. The 30-year-old pointed out how Chris Livingston, drafted as the last pick in the 2023 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, clinched a four-year, $7.6 million deal, a historic sum for someone picked so low.
"Bronny James, I'm told, is expected to stay in the 2024 NBA Draft…It's not really a question of if [Bronny James] is going to get drafted, it's just about where and when."@ShamsCharania updates on Bronny James pic.twitter.com/j4ZiasZnFf
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) May 13, 2024
LeBron James’ agent and business associate Rich Paul worked his magic and asked teams to pass on Livingston since he had prepared an agreement with the Bucks two weeks in advance. Thus, a similar situation can play out for Bronny.
“You think about Rich Paul last year during the draft. Chris Livingston is the last pick in the NBA draft, to Milwaukee. He gets the most guaranteed money of any player picked that late in the draft ever,” Charania added.
Thus, Bronny James’s chances of making an NBA roster have increased as the draft approaches. In that wake, the question is, will the Los Angeles Lakers use their draft pick to pave the way for the first-ever father-son duo in the NBA?
Will LeBron James fulfill the dream of playing with his son?
LeBron James has repeatedly conveyed his desire to play with his son Bronny James. However, this narrative has slowed down during the past few months. As per numerous reports, LBJ will prefer staying with the Lakers over playing with his son, if he is drafted elsewhere.
Brian Windhorst posited that Rich Paul has been working behind the scenes to ensure that Bronny James hears his name called in the 2024 NBA Draft. As per Windhorst, Paul’s design seeks to bring the parent-child duo on the same team, but James may still stay with the Lakers on a new deal.
Brian Windhorst on Bronny James being medically cleared for the NBA: "Over the last few months, Rich Paul, who's the agent for LeBron and Bronny James has made an effort to part the concept that drafting Bronny James means you're getting LeBron. I do believe LeBron's going to opt… pic.twitter.com/Dk8PHIfJT4
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 13, 2024
The Lakers have the #17 draft pick in the first round and a #55 pick in the second round. Drafting Bronny at #55 makes sense, but it is not a foregone conclusion. Because the Lakers can look in a different direction.
If any other squad drafts him, it can raise a serious question. Are they drafting him to lure LeBron James or is it because of his upside? At any rate, the 27th June draft has an intriguing subplot.
