This is how the Lakers could take Bronny James in the NBA Draft

One doesn’t have to be a basketball savant to know that LeBron James is, at worst, one of the ten greatest players in NBA history. So, being his firstborn son and also wanting to pursue a career in professional basketball warrants plenty of attention.

That has always been the case with Bronny James, a combo guard who’s drawn mixed reviews throughout the course of his high school career but who could still have a long career in the league, depending on his development.

Bronny was rising in mock drafts before suffering cardiac arrest and missing the start of the season with USC. Now, it’s highly unlikely that he’s going to be considered anything more than a late-round first-round pick.

Even so, given his privileged gene pool, there’s simply no way that Bronny doesn’t make it to the league as soon as he declares for the NBA Draft, especially with the Los Angeles Lakers reportedly looking forward to pairing him with his old man.

Lakers Could Be In Position To Get Bronny

With that in mind, ESPN’s Salary Cap expert Bobby Marks explained how the Lakers could get him. The New Orleans Pelicans could own their first-round pick, but they could defer it until 2025 if it falls around 23 or 24.

“What happens with that Laker first?” Marks asked. “Remember, New Orleans has the Lakers’ first, but can defer until 2025 here. So, if that pick is at 23 or 24, and the Lakers have that, would they take Bronny James to pair up with his dad? But – certainly for those teams up in the lottery – it’s hard for me to see a team picking him just for the lore of getting LeBron there with him.”

Other Teams Won’t Be Interested

Marks added that as much as NBA analysts and fans speculated about other teams potentially snatching Bronny earlier so they could make a run at LeBron as well, that just doesn’t seem likely at this point:

“It’s hard for me to see that,” Marks explained. “Especially if it’s teams picking up in the top 10. If you look at a team, for example Charlotte, would they pick Bronny James, who maybe some people project late first-round, early-second round with the eighth pick in the draft just for the belief that they can get LeBron James in their building? Teams don’t operate that way. They operate how their board dictates it.”

It’s not that LeBron has become a less valuable or coveted asset at this point in his career; it’s just that Bronny doesn’t project to be a top-10 caliber player even at his best, which is why it would be irresponsible to take such a major risk on him.

Of course, we’ve seen late first-round and even second-round picks end up having Hall-of-Famer-caliber careers, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see Bronny carrying his father’s torch once it’s all said and done. For now, however, there’s not as much buzz around him as scouts originally thought it would be.