USC guard Bronny James has only worked for the Lakers and Suns during the pre-draft process and there are no plans to have him visit any additional clubs, agent Rich Paul tells Jonathan Givony of ESPN.com. However, Paul spoke surprisingly openly about other clubs that he believes have interest in his client.
“There are other teams that love Bronny,” Paul said. “For example, Minnesota, Dallas, Toronto. If it’s not the Lakers, it will be someone else. (The Timberwolves) would love to get Bronny in, but I don’t know who their owner is going to be. (Mavericks general manager) Nico Harrison is like an uncle to Bronny. If the Lakers don’t take him at 55, Dallas would take him at 58 and give him a guaranteed deal. (Raptors president) Masai (Ujiri), loves him. They could take him without even seeing him at 31. Workouts aren’t everything for these teams.”
According to Givony, sources from several teams have told him that they’ve attempted to schedule a workout with James, but haven’t had any luck. Paul said that’s by design, pointing to his track record of steering his clients (such as Talen Horton-Tucker, Brandon Boston, and Chris Livingston) to preferred destinations in the second round and getting them guaranteed money and a spot on a team’s 15-man roster.
“This is nothing new,” Paul said. “The goal is to find a team that values your guy and try to push him to get there. It’s important to understand the context and realize that this has always been the strategy with many of my clients throughout the years, especially those in need of development like Bronny. My stuff is by design.
“… Bronny is the same as my previous clients. I got the word out early to teams that if you plan on bringing Bronny in, here’s what you need to know: If you won’t give him a real deal, there’s nothing to talk about. It’s hard to get real development on a two-way deal.”
Paul also revisited the idea that Bronny and his father (and fellow Klutch Sports client), LeBron James, will come as a package deal, reiterating that there’s no truth to it. In other words, Phoenix should use its No. 22 overall pick on Bronny in the hopes that LeBron will want to become a Sun.
“LeBron is off this idea of having to play with Bronny,” Paul told Givony. “If he does, he does. But if he doesn’t, he doesn’t. There’s no deal made that it’s guaranteed that if the Lakers draft Bronny at 55, he (LeBron) will re-sign. If that was the case, I would force them to take him at 17. We don’t need leverage. The Lakers can draft Bronny, and LeBron doesn’t re-sign. LeBron is also not going to Phoenix for a minimum deal. We can squash that now.”
LeBron still has a decision to make on his $51.4MM player option for the 2024/25 season. He’s widely expected to remain with the Lakers, whether he declines that option to sign a new contract or picks it up (possibly in tandem with an extension).
Strong Arron Afflalo vibes with Bronny. One thing that will go a long way to determining if he has a successful NBA career will be how tenacious/mean he is on the court. Afflalo had a bit of a hard edge to him as did fellow Cali guys Matt Barnes & Byron Scott. If Bronny can channel those guys & throw in a lil Raja Bell & Avery Bradley he’ll be in the league long after Bron is retired. Obv being a consistent 3pt shooter is gonna be just as important. The haters are obv gonna continue to hate but they’ll also continue to be irrelevant
Let’s be real if he wasnt LeBrons kuid nobody would even talk about him. Whatever team takes him will regret it
Because teams sit around with all kinds of regret over their second round selections so often hahaha give me a break.
Ask everyone who did not draft the Joker.
Careful Urk, you must follow the Bron cult or deal with the consequences….see below? Brainwashed sensitive lot. Get a current passport son, Taiwan is calling.
Im convinced you’re a bot made to comment specifically on posts about Lebron or his bloodline
Let’s be real – if he wasn’t LeBron’s son, you wouldn’t be hating on him.
Correct, I despise LeBron and? If he wasn’t brons son he wouldn’t of received five million in NIL payments or be getting drafted. Gets more air time and attention than the sixty plus players in this draft alone who are better than him. If you can accept that money and attention on the back of your name when your game doesn’t translate….you’re free game.
Oh b/c you’re such a white knight you wouldn’t accept the money and attention if Bron was your father?
I hope he gets drafted by a team that signs him to a 2 way deal
High hopes…. Well above his skill set.
“If that was the case, I would force them to take him at 17. ” Rich Paul is such a scumbag
Yeah you have said that more than once without merit. How on earth does that quote make someone a “scumbag”? Serious question….How much money does your therapist make per year based off of just Lebron hurting your poor sensitive feelings?
Its a history of moves by Clutch and Paul.
Remember he got AD’s dad to say crap about the Celtics bc they traded IT4.
Thank You Mr. Davis!!!! everyone in Boston thanks you bc Jaylen Brown is better than AD.
Ok, but his client didn’t want to go to Boston. He wanted to go to L.A. Again Paul doing what’s best for his client.
Damn sn get a life instead of being such a hater
Steve Urkel you literally were complaining about Bronny in your comment above about how he is only being considered because of who his dad is. I asked what about his quote makes him a scumbag. Maybe take some of your own advice and stop being such a hypocrite.
Love these comments, similar to the Boras hate in MLB…Rich Paul is doing exactly what he’s hired and paid very well to do. Just because he changed the game and put control in players hands no reason to hate.
How is he a scumbag for trying to get the best deal for his client? He’s just telling the truth and doing anything every other agent would do. Stop being in your feelings so much, Drake.
Is he?
Seriously, not to be a contrarian all the time, but to me it seems like Paul is trying to insulate his client so that people dont find out the truth, which is he is not an NBA player. At least not now.
Yeah, that’s best for his client because it gets him drafted into top-tier development, not the G-League. If he flames out, then he flames out.
When do you even hear of other agents on ESPN or in articles? Rich is agent to those talking heads who right off the best team this year and every team the most. Not everyone wants in on the Bron cult man lol. Dictatorship much….I thought it was land of the free.
I don’t know what this incoherent drivel after the first sentence means, but have you ever heard of Arn Tellem, and David Falk? Woj tweets about agents all the time, just because you don’t see it doesn’t mean other agents aren’t talked about. Stop hating it’s rotting your brain.
Ask bron and rich if you’re allowed to comprehend and retain outside noise.
Not a dictatorship. A monarchy #KingJames ;)… link to m.youtube.com
Nice, very clever. Is this kids birthright after all.
So he’s steered 3 players and suddenly he’s going to reshape drafts?
He’s doing a great sell job to get teams interested. If his name wasn’t Bronny he wouldn’t be on a draft board
But his name is Bronny James so teams are interested.
Do they want to draft him or force Lakers hand in drafting him in the 1st round. A team with a 2nd round pick and a roster crunch could take him in the 2nd round before Lakers pick and trade him back to lakers for a future 1st round top 20 protected pick or 2 2nd round picks.
Bingo, nice move Rich Paul. Show everyone your hand, well played….what a doofus.
Giant bust!
I like giant busts too, but within reason. Too much is too much.
Seriously though, how could Bronny be a bust? He’s not going to be a top 5 pick, he’s probably not even going to be a first round pick. There’s no expectation of him being a generational talent. To be a bust a player has to not live up to expectations.
Welcome to the Red Claws, I hear Maine is beautiful in winter. These other teams are so extorting the Fakers this off season. If only Paul was as smart as he thinks he is.
Rich & Klutch represent 45+ current NBA players, many of them All-Stars and future free agents, and will continue to rep NBA players in the future. Thus, he has more leverage than you think, and a team would be idiotic to choose mere pettiness over potentially losing out on future free agents/players. Business 101
Does anyone really believe these “reports?”
I mean this has Clutch written all over it.
If Bronny was that good to be taken at 31, he would be at any invitation to work out by teams. Clutch is orchestrating this so that when the Lakers take him, treat him as if he is the same as the #17 pick they will minimize the damage.
If the Lakers keep that #17 pick, his agent should not let him sign until the Lakers guarantee that Bronny is not gonna get preferential treatment bc of his father.
Wow, NBA is going along with this Lebron’s nepotism. And Laker fans wonder why they cant compete.
I still say Boston should pick him at 53 then put him in Maine just for Lebron to make a big thing about it. However, Brad is too smart to waste a 2nd round pick on a guy who cannot score, cannot shoot, is undersized and has never played PG.
Yeah, I do believe he could be taken int he first round in a very weak draft based on genes and what they hope his potential could be.
Hahaha lol.
Kinda reminds me of the Ken Griffey Sr. and Junior situation. Seeing them play together was a joy for everyone. Not sure why people seem to be against the idea.
I get not drafting Bronny ahead of guys who deserve to be drafted after their work last season and whole body of career work. But if the Lakers take him late in the second round, I don’t see the big deal with that. Late second round picks are always a lottery, one which *almost* always doesn’t pan out.
Bronny and LeBron playing together would be good for the sport. I don’t know. That’s my feeling.
Comparing Bronny with Griffey Jr is overreacting a tad me thinks.
Yep not a good comparison because Griffey jr was like Wembly when he was drafted. Bronny is like Clemens jr being drafted.
The comparison I intended is not related to skill. Bronny is generating a hype machine despite his lack of production, and I think fans will be happy to see them play together. I saw a video the other night of Griffey Sr. and Jr. going back-to-back and people went absolutely nuts. I think LeBron playing with his son could be fun. They’re not going to have a night where they both score 30, but even them being on the court together would be very cool.
If you see the Mavs trade up their #58 pick plus cash for a higher second round pick then you know Lebron has told Kyrie he wants to come to the Mavs.
We know the league will get him where he wants to go. They know how to fix it when they want.
Agents doing agent things…