5 Teams Desperate Enough to Reach for Bronny James in the 2024 NBA Draft
Bronny James is a legitimate prospect in the 2024 NBA draft.
This conversation needs to start there.
Sure, he gets gobs of extra attention for being the son of LeBron James—one of the only realistic answers to the longstanding GOAT debates—but the 19-year-old has NBA traits and tools to offer. It's just that what he brings—defensive, IQ, shotmaking potential—isn't necessarily enough to warrant the pick at which he could be drafted.
Per B/R's Jonathan Wasserman, teams "sound uncertain" he will even get drafted, but his name could end up being called way earlier than expected, if only for the chance (however slim it might be) that drafting Bronny could be the key in convincing LeBron to leave the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency.
With that in mind, let's examine five teams that might be desperate enough to take the younger James earlier than the mock-draft universe says he should go.
Chicago Bulls
1 of 5
Externally, the Chicago Bulls have appeared as logical rebuild candidates for a while now; but internally, the plan seems to be forging forward with the most competitive roster possible.
"Diving into this offseason, I put emphasis on turning this program around," Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas vowed in his end-of-season press conference.
Outside of a possible Zach LaVine trade, Chicago's options for adjusting this team are limited. If it re-signs DeMar DeRozan and Patrick Williams, then financial flexibility will be hard to find. It holds the No. 11 pick, but that is its only selection in this draft.
Now, it's hard to envision any scenario in which the Bulls remotely consider using that pick on James, but if they trade down for additional assets or into the early portion of the second round, he might wind up on their radar—for the hope LeBron would follow Bronny to the Windy City.
It's a long shot at best, but is it any worse than running things back with roughly the same roster and hoping to avoid what would be a third consecutive lottery appearance?
You could see the Bulls talking themselves into this, provided they want to make a major move that isn't the future-focused one the rest of the hoops world continues to wait for.
Los Angeles Lakers
2 of 5
A critically important offseason for the Los Angeles Lakers isn't off to the most inspiring start.
Their top choice to replace former coach Darvin Ham, UConn's Dan Hurley, spurned their advances, and it isn't entirely certain where they'll turn next.
Folks have questioned the franchise's willingness to spend and wondered whether the coaching vacancy is as attractive as the Lakers' brand name would lead you to believe.
And underneath these frustrations and embarrassments sits nothing less than a doomsday scenario: LeBron declining his $51.4 million player option to seek out greener pastures and better championship odds elsewhere.
L.A. can live with some egg on its face from the Hurley rejection, but losing LeBron would be a crushing blow. Whatever hopes the Lakers hold for next season—and they're almost always sky-high in Hollywood—they all revolve around convincing him to stay and building something of substance around him.
There probably isn't a better recruiting pitch than giving him the chance to fulfill a dream. L.A. almost certainly wouldn't take Bronny at No. 17, but if it views the Jameses as a package deal, it might not be able to sweat out waiting until the No. 55 pick to see if the legacy prospect is still on the board. That's a lot of opportunities for rival organizations to swoop in and spoil the strategy.
The Lakers could avoid that white-knuckling by moving up the draft board and into a range no one has Bronny going. It might take a sweetener or two to climb that high, but the increased confidence in LeBron sticking around would arguably be worth it.
Philadelphia 76ers
3 of 5
Philly's 2023-24 season failed to live up to expectations, but it also opened the door for a productive enough summer that the 2024-25 campaign becomes a dream come true.
The Sixers have a ton of work to do between now and then, though, such as essentially constructing an entire roster around Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey (a restricted free agent). It is an absurd amount of flexibility for a heavyweight championship contender ("when healthy" asterisk always applied), but it only matters if they can use it to add impact players.
"This offseason's a big one," Philadelphia president Daryl Morey told reporters. "I owe it to the fans, to ownership, to everybody, to get this team in a place where we're competing for championships."
For as much flexibility as the franchise possesses, there aren't a ton of avenues to elites. This free-agent pool lacks star power, especially if Paul George re-signs with the Los Angeles Clippers as many expect. The trade market could be interesting, but a lot of the noise on that front is from teams looking to add, not subtract.
The Sixers have already been linked to LeBron, so it's fair to assume they've considered linking themselves to Bronny, too. They have the 41st pick, which is earlier than you'll find James being mocked.
It's conceivable they could climb even higher if they felt the younger James would help get them the older one.
Phoenix Suns
4 of 5
The Phoenix Suns are functionally stuck: Over the second apron, lacking control on almost all of their future draft picks and coming up short on both the mid-sized salaries and sweeteners needed to trade for reliable role players.
Phoenix, for what it's worth, seems content with its position. And there are worse fates than being tied to a roster featuring Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.
Still, the Suns, who need to win big right now to justify the investment in this group, are coming off a 33-loss season and first-round exit. This roster might need reinforcing, it will just be incredibly difficult to do so.
Unless, of course, LeBron would be open to signing for dirt cheap for the chance to play with his son. It's a possibility he hasn't previously ruled out.
"My last year will be played with my son," he told The Athletic's Jason Lloyd in 2022. "Wherever Bronny is at, that's where I'll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year. It's not about the money at that point."
Anyone who isn't worried about money should immediately wind up on the Suns' radar, and the possibility of LeBron joining forces with Durant (not to mention Booker and Beal) sounds like basketball brilliance.
Bronny could even make his mark as a perimeter stopper early on, and given Phoenix's general lack of youth, it could be more committed to his long-term development than most teams.
Spending the No. 22 pick on the younger James is unrealistic, but the Suns could look to move back 10 or 15 spots to scoop him up and add something to their effectively nonexistent asset collection.
Utah Jazz
5 of 5
The Utah Jazz, who aren't quite two calendar years removed from the Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell trades, seemingly have reasons to stick to the slow-and-steady plan for constructing a contender.
There's just one catch: Star swingman Lauri Markkanen, who turned 27 in May, is right in the middle of his prime and may not want to wait for slow-and-steady development.
And that might matter a ton to the Jazz, since he needs a new contract between now and next summer, and they "fully intend to build around him," per The Athletic's Tony Jones.
Utah needs more win-now talent if the aim is to compete next season, and while Bronny can't deliver that, his dad obviously could. And if you want to connect some dots like that old Brian Windhorst meme, you could take note of the fact that the Jazz are said to be star-searching, per HoopsHype's Michael Scotto, and "could be interested" in taking Bronny with the 32nd pick," per Yahoo Sports' Krysten Peek.
Adding both Jameses could be ideal for the Jazz. They would get their star without gutting their asset collection, which is vital since they still may not have enough to compete at a high level and might have to pivot toward a lengthier rebuild at some point.
Or maybe a LeBron-plus-Bronny package deal might spur this franchise to make more moves. It certainly has enough draft picks to give virtually anyone chase on the trade market.
Sprinkle in the right amount of internal development with this young roster, and Utah just might be able to spawn next season's most surprising contender.
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