Bronny James Rumors: Lakers 'in a Perfect World' Want to Draft LeBron's Son amid Buzz

Now that it appears Bronny James is going to stay in the 2024 NBA draft, focus has turned to which team might select the former USC guard.

Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show (starts at 3:40 mark), Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium said "in a perfect world" the Los Angeles Lakers would like to draft James.

Charania didn't specify if the Lakers would attempt use a first- or second-round pick on James. He added there are other teams "that could emerge" as suitors for the 19-year-old throughout the draft process.

The Lakers have been frequently linked to Bronny, especially since LeBron James has made no secret he wants to play with his son. He's featured in an ad for Beats by Dre in which his wife, Savannah, suggests in the voiceover narration LeBron wants the chance to play with both Bronny and Bryce.

"Tell them you're not done until you play with your son. Then do that—again," Savannah said.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Jonathan Givony reported on Monday that James has been medically cleared to be drafted by the NBA's three-person Fitness to Play Panel. He suffered cardiac arrest during a USC practice on July 24 that was later revealed to have likely been caused by a congenital heart defect.

James returned to the court on Dec. 10 and played in 25 consecutive games for USC. He declared for the draft last month, but also entered the transfer portal to maintain his college eligibility.

B/R's Jonathan Wasserman didn't have James in his most recent mock draft posted on May 9. That was before he was medically cleared by the NBA panel, but there are also concerns about his game translating to the next level after struggling at USC.

James averaged 4.8 points on 36.6 percent shooting, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game in 25 appearances for the Trojans.

The Lakers enter the 2024 draft owning picks No. 17 and 55.