After much deliberation from the NBA world, Klutch Sports Chief Executive Rich Paul has confirmed that Bronny James will officially be entering the 2024 NBA Draft.
“He’s staying in the draft,” Klutch Sports Chief Executive Rich Paul told ESPN in a story published before the 11:59 p.m. Eastern time NCAA deadline.
Bronny had kept his college eligibility up until this point to keep his options open, but Paul affirmed he’s all in on making it to the NBA.
“Bronny’s [draft] range is wide,” Paul told ESPN. “He’s a really good prospect who has a lot of room for growth. It only takes one team. I don’t care where that team is — it can be No. 1 or 58 — [but] I do care about the plan, the development. The team’s strategy, the opportunity and the financial commitment. That’s why I’m not doing a two-way deal. Every team understands that.”
Of course, Bronny being LeBron James’ son has stirred up a lot of chatter about whether the Lakers will draft him.
“The Lakers need to look at Bronny like everyone else,” Paul said. “If they value him enough and he’s there, that’s great. If it’s not the Lakers, that’s great. I won’t be mad if it’s not. It’s obvious that people hear the conversation around the dad and son playing together, but that’s not our focus. If it happens organically, great. I’m not building on that.”
“I’m not putting unrealistic expectations on Bronny. He’s far from a finished product. But he has a hell of start. He’s positioned well. … I don’t see him not getting drafted, but if it got to a point where the situations didn’t make sense and we needed to go undrafted, that’s fine.”
The Lakers could take James in the first or second round of the draft. The Lakers’ first-round pick at No. 17 will depend on whether the Pelicans defer it to 2025 or not.
LA also have the No. 55 pick in the second round.
Otherwise, other teams such as the Suns and Mavericks and Jazz have rumored interest in drafting the 19-year-old.
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