NBA Rumors: Mavs Eye Drafting Bronny Ahead of Lakers to Try to Lure LeBron James

The Dallas Mavericks reportedly may try to position themselves to land LeBron James in free agency by selecting his son, Bronny James, in the 2024 NBA draft.

Speaking Monday on the Stephen A. Smith Show (beginning at the 3:30 mark), ESPN's Stephen A. Smith said he has been told the Mavs are interested in potentially taking Bronny so they can add LeBron to a core that already included Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving, the latter of whom won a championship alongside LeBron with the Cleveland Cavaliers:

LeBron has said on numerous occasions that he would like to team with his son in the NBA, but while he confirmed last year that playing on the same team as Bronny was still an aspiration of his, he noted that he would be "absolutely OK" with Bronny not sharing the same goal.

Last month, Shams Charania, Jovan Buha and Sam Amick of The Athletic reported that the Lakers were open to helping LeBron "fulfill his dream" by drafting Bronny.

Bronny underwent a heart procedure last summer after going into cardiac arrest during a workout, which delayed the start of his freshman season at USC.

He never quite gained his footing after that, averaging 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, while shooting 36.6 percent from the field and 26.7 percent from three-point range.

Despite that, Bronny entered the 2024 NBA draft, although he still reserves the right to withdraw and return to college.

The Lakers currently own the Nos. 17 and 55 overall picks in the 2024 NBA draft. The New Orleans could take the No. 17 overall pick as part of the trade that sent Anthony Davis to the Lakers, but Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer reported that the Pels are expected to take the Lakers' 2025 first instead.

Last week, Buha said the Lakers are likely to be "aggressive" in shopping the No. 17 overall pick to land a third star to play alongside LeBron and Davis.

If a trade involving the 17th pick happens, the Lakers will still have the No. 55 pick in the second round, which could be a landing spot for Bronny.

The Mavericks currently have only the No. 58 overall pick, meaning they would have to acquire a pick before No. 55 to snipe Bronny away from Los Angeles.

Even if the Mavs do draft Bronny, however, it is far from guaranteed that LeBron would join his son in Dallas.

On the latest episode of Buha's Block (h/t HoopsHype.com), Buha said "all indications" point to LeBron returning to the Lakers in 2024-25, either via opting in for the final year of his deal or opting out and signing a new contract with the team.