NBA Rumors: There's a favorite to draft LeBron James' son Bronny in the first round

Bronny James is one of the biggest names to watch ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft. While this is mostly because we’re talking about LeBron James‘ eldest son, it seems that we could see his name high on the draft order.

Even though the USC product is widely expected to be a second-round pick at best, Bill Simmons said on his podcast that the player’s camp will encourage teams to select him sooner. And he believes the Phoenix Suns will do that in the first round.

“I think Bronny is going to go in the first round because I think that’s going to be encouraged,” Simmons said. “Encouraged in a way like, ‘If this happens, then this will happen.’ There’s a lot of Phoenix buzz right now; I’m just going to say it. There is and I don’t know if it’s real or not.”

Bronny has already worked out for Suns

The Suns are one of the NBA teams Bronny has worked out for, along with the Los Angeles Lakers. These two teams seem to be in pole position to select LeBron’s oldest son, in what could be an attempt to also get The King.

LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers shouts to his son, Bronny James #6 of the USC Trojans, during Bronny’s game against the California Golden Bears at Haas Pavilion on February 07, 2024 in Berkeley, California.

“But they seem really confident that he is getting drafted in the first round. And if you’re Mat Ishbia and the draft sucks, and it’s like let’s get Bronny, and they’re telling us that if we take Bronny, there’s a chance that we can get LeBron too, you got to think about it,” Simmons said.

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NBA Rumors: LeBron James has made a decision on playing with Bronny James

Word on the street is that LeBron will not make a decision based on Bronny’s next team, but the connection is still giving a lot to talk about in the days leading to the 2024 NBA Draft.

3 more NBA teams interested in Bronny James ahead of 2024 NBA Draft

The Suns and Lakers could face competition for Bronny, though. Klutch Sports Group CEO Rich Paul, who represents both LeBron and his oldest son, suggested there are three other teams that are also interested in the young guard.

“There are other teams that love Bronny. For example, Minnesota Timberwolves, Dallas Mavericks, Toronto Raptors. If it’s not the Lakers, it will be someone else,” Paul told Jonathan Givony of ESPN. “Minnesota would love to get Bronny in, but I don’t know who their owner is going to be. [Mavs GM] 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. Masai [Ujiri, Raptors president], loves him. They could take him without even seeing him at 31. Workouts aren’t everything for these teams.”