Rich Paul: LeBron James ‘Off This Idea’ Of Needing To Play With Bronny In NBA

June 19, 2024

LeBron James doesn’t need to play with Bronny James and even if Bronny is drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers it doesn’t guarantee LeBron will re-sign.

At least, that’s the word from agent Rich Paul.

“LeBron is off this idea of having to play with Bronny,” Paul told Jonathan Givony of ESPN. “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.”

Bronny will only work out for the Lakers and Phoneix Suns, Paul revealed. But that doesn’t mean those are the only two teams for which he could play.

“There are other teams that love Bronny,” Paul told Givony. “For example, Minnesota, Dallas, Toronto. If it’s not the Lakers, it will be someone else. 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.”

Bronny spent just one season at USC before declaring for the 2024 NBA Draft. He averaged 4.8 points after suffering a heart scare in the preseason.

Scouts who spoke to Hoops Wire said he will likely need a year or two in the G League — though Paul has already said a two-way contract is out of the question.

“Bronny is the same as my previous clients,” Paul said. “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.

“I don’t care about him going to the Lakers, or Phoenix, or about what number he gets picked. It’s about fit.”

LeBron James has previously stated he wants to play for whichever team drafts Bronny, but has since walked back those comments. Paul, it seems, is putting that idea completely to rest.

“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.”