SUMMARY
- Rich Paul called other franchise to tell them not to draft Bronny James since the Lakers were.
- This may have led Bronny to miss being selected higher in the draft and generate more value as an asset.
Now that Bronny James has found himself a spot in the NBA, the entire world may go back to being a little less centered around the 19-year-old. Leading up to the draft, there was a slight concern that the former USC Trojans guard might not get selected based on his health situation and on the time he’s actually spent playing competitive basketball in college.
“Rich Paul is calling teams, don’t take Bronny James … if you take him, he’s going to Australia.” 😳
Bob Myers on Bronny James’ draft status 👀 pic.twitter.com/p6mWNMAjma
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 27, 2024
Before getting drafted, Bob Myers, former Golden State Warriors executive and current analyst with ESPN revealed that Bronny’s agent, Rich Paul tried to warn other teams against selecting the athlete just so the LA Lakers could draft him. Considering that it might be true, James is probably missing out on a lot of good prospects.
The higher Bronny James would’ve gotten draft, the better his value
A week before the draft, Rich Paul revealed that there were teams besides the Lakers who were genuinely interested in drafting Bronny James. Some of the teams he had mentioned included the Dallas Mavericks, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Toronto Raptors, two of which have higher slots in the second round.
Laker pic.twitter.com/Oay24Bq3M0
— Bronny (@BronnyJamesJr) June 28, 2024
If James had to be drafted higher, this would have automatically increased his value as an asset in the league. Now that he’s a late second-round pick, the Lakers guard might face some criticism especially since he’s LeBron James’ son. On the other hand, Paul’s actions were forms of tampering which could impact his credibility as an agent and the reputation of his company, Klutch Sports.
The Lakers might be Bronny James’ safest bet at steady development
But as risky as Paul’s actions may have been (if they’re true), playing alongside LeBron James is probably the best thing for Bronny James. LeBron is a 4x NBA Champion who has deep knowledge of the sport of basketball, especially the NBA. If the Lakers pull off a great regular season and make it to the playoffs, there wouldn’t be a better mentor to guide Bronny than LeBron himself.
We’ve also seen most of LeBron’s former teammates sprout into some of the top players in the league, for example, Kyrie Irving, Julius Randle, and even Josh Hart. The 20x All-Star is bound to have that kind of impact on Bronny as well. Not only that, but Bronny also might have three years to develop himself and eventually spread his wings once LeBron retires.