At Least 5 Teams Showing Interest in Bronny James as NBA Draft Nears

Bronny James, the son of LeBron James, is currently being courted by two teams in the NBA. The younger James has only worked out for the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers. The rumors have all indicated that wherever Bronny goes, LeBron is sure to follow. However, Bronny's agent has indicated there is no package deal for both.

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Bronny surprised everyone when he revealed he would be entering the transfer portal and declaring for the NBA Draft after spending only one season with USC. Right before the deadline ended to retain college eligibility, he then indicated he would focus solely on the NBA instead.

Bronny impressed at the NBA Combine, which is likely why he began to garner interest from teams almost immediately. The issue is only the Suns and Lakers were able to secure a workout with him.

Bronny's agent, Rich Paul, indicated his working out for those two teams is "by design." Paul told ESPN's Jonathan Givony, "This is nothing new. 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."

Givony also indicated, "Sources from a half-dozen NBA teams have told ESPN they've had difficulty securing workouts with 2024 draft prospect Bronny James, but the agent for the former USC guard confirmed James has worked out individually for just two teams at this point, the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Lakers, and said that is by design."

The issue is that many NBA teams could be angling to give Bronny a two-way contract, which would place him on a G League team along with earning time at the NBA level. However, Paul has indicated that Bronny would refuse a deal like that, and that is why he has only worked out for the Lakers and Suns.

This does not mean that those are the only two teams interested in the budding star. "There are other teams that love Bronny. For example, Minnesota, Dallas, and Toronto. If it's not the Lakers, it will be someone else. Minnesota would love to get Bronny in, but I don't know who their owner is going to be. [Mavs GM] 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. Masai [Ujiri, Raptors president,] loves him. They could take him without even seeing him at 31. Workouts aren't everything for these teams," Paul added.

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The rumors have held that Bronny would go to a team that would eventually acquire LeBron, but Paul has indicated that is not the case. Despite Paul shooting down those rumors, it would make sense for the Lakers to draft Bronny knowing that would likely sway LeBron into remaining with L.A. The interesting aspect of this draft is that the Lakers currently own the No. 17 and No. 55 overall picks.

The NBA Draft begins June 26, and there is no telling which team might make a surprising move to draft Bronny. If they do, it will only be if he gets a guaranteed contract that allows him to develop at the highest professional level.