NBA Draft 2024 Odds: Bronny James Favored to Be Picked by Lakers, Knicks, Cavs

Draft odds for Bronny James are in, and it probably won't surprise you which team is favored to select him.

According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Los Angeles Lakers (+185) are the prohibitive favorites to sign the USC guard, hardly a surprise given that his father, LeBron James, plays for the team and has expressed an interest in one day suiting up with his son.

Five teams come in a distant second at +1400: the New York Knicks, Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers and Oklahoma City Thunder:

Many of the teams featured on that list are prospective suitors for James should he decline his player option for the 2024-25 season and become a free agent.

The Knicks are perpetually star-hunting and finally have a face of the franchise in Jalen Brunson after years of searching for one in the post-Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porziņģis era. The Sixers are desperately trying to get Joel Embiid a title and have a strong one-two in the former MVP and Tyrese Maxey.

The Cavaliers would surely love to bring the hometown James back to Cleveland for a third time. The Thunder have one of the most exciting young rosters in the sport, led by MVP runner-up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and bringing aboard a superstar like James would help them take the next step.

Granted, as ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported on Monday's Get Up, drafting Bronny James does not mean his father would feel beholden to sign with the organization. Far from it. But that may not stop teams from employing that strategy anyway.

Were it not for that factor, the younger James may not even get drafted this season. After a spotty freshman season at USC (4.8 PPG, 2.1 APG, 26.7 percent from three), he didn't appear on either the latest top-50 big board or mock draft from B/R's Jonathan Wasserman.

He also didn't make the cut in the post-lottery mock draft by The Athletic's Sam Vecenie and Sunday's mock from Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo of ESPN. The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor has James ranked No. 69 on his own big board, though he did project the Lakers to select him at No. 55 on his mock draft.

So, if an NBA team is going to select young Bronny, the Lakers are the safest bet. But it's very possible he won't hear his name called at all in late June.

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For all the latest betting information and reaction, check out B/R Betting.

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