Bronny James Rumors: Mavs Would Be Interested in Drafting LeBron's Son at No. 58

The Dallas Mavericks "would have interest" in using the No. 58 pick of the 2024 NBA Draft to select Bronny James, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.

Stein added that the Mavericks "realize it's extremely unlikely" that the son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James will still be available at the end of the second round.

"All current indications suggest that LeBron James' 19-year-old son will be selected earlier in the second round before Dallas makes the last pick in the draft," Stein wrote.

According to Stein, agent Rich Paul says it is "unlikely" that James will work out for the Mavericks, or any other teams, prior the draft. The former USC freshman has previously worked out for the Lakers and the Phoenix Suns.

The Athletic's Jovan Buha reported that James has chosen to attend workouts with only those two teams despite receiving "over 10" invitations.

The likelihood that James will drop to No. 58 feels especially unlikely given that the pick comes three spots after the Lakers' final pick.

Jonathan Wasserman predicted that Los Angeles will use that No. 55 pick to draft James in his latest 2024 NBA Mock Draft for Bleacher Report.

Although Wasserman reported that "rival teams sound uncertain about Bronny James' chances of getting drafted," he believes the Lakers are the 19-year-old's most likely destination.

"If he's still on the board deep into the second round, L.A.'s front office could feel pressure to select him, considering it's essentially a risk-free pick that late, and passing at No. 55 would signal to LeBron how little the team thinks of Bronny," Wasserman wrote.

James suffered cardiac arrest and underwent heart surgery prior to his freshman season at USC. He made his Trojans debut in December and went on to average 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 0.8 steals per game through 25 appearances.

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith previously predicted that the Mavericks could pursue James in order to attempt to lure LeBron James to rejoin former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate Kyrie Irving in Dallas. However, ESPN's Brian Windhorst has said that Paul has "made an effort" to tell teams that drafting James does not guarantee his father coming with him.

The Mavericks could instead be seeking to add James because they believe the shotmaking he displayed during the NBA Scouting Combine and defensive skills he demonstrated at USC indicate he could eventually develop into an NBA-ready player, despite the limited sample size of his college career.