The Los Angeles Lakers decided to give Bronny James a four-year, $7.9 million contract. The rookie’s agent, Rich Paul, was a key factor to get that impressive deal for a second-round pick.
The logical move, as it happens with other players trying to prove they deserve a roster spot, would have been a two-way contract for Bronny. One salary to play in both the G-League and, if he got called, the NBA.
However, many critics have pointed out that LeBron James is the main reason why his son received a contract of those proportions. It’s not normal for a team to concede.
Rich Paul explains controversial contract for Bronny James
During an interview with Pat McAfee, Rich Paul admitted that he put pressure on the Los Angeles Lakers to give Bronny James a guaranteed contract. According to his words, the two-way deal wasn’t an option.
“As far as guaranteed contracts, that was a thing. I didn’t want him to be on the two-way or things like that. No offense to two-way contracts. It’s just, there are different scenarios. In this case, it was just something that we were able to work out and get done. So, that’s a good thing.”
Why is Bronny James’ contract controversial?
The numbers of Bronny James’ rookie contract are very surprising if we compare them to other No.55 picks in recent NBA history. Gui Santos got only $75000 guaranteed in 2022 from the Golden State Warriors while Bronny has $4 million guaranteed.
In that same spot, three players got the famous and common two-way contract: Kyle Guy, Jay Scrubb and Aaron Wiggins. The No.55 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, Isaiah Wong, signed a two-day contract of $560000 with the Indiana Pacers. A huge difference from that total of almost $8 million for Bronny.