Head-scratching NBA prospect, and son of LeBron James, Bronny has kept things close to the chest heading into next week’s draft.
Teams have reportedly had difficulty securing workouts with the 19-year-old leading into July 26. And according to agent Rich Paul, CEO of Klutch Sports, that has been “by design.”
“The goal is to find a team that values your guy and try to push him to get there,” Paul said, per ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, regarding the fact that Bronny has only worked out with the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns.
“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.”
Despite the uncertainties and anonymity surrounding the USC guard, Paul said there are a handful of teams interested in Bronny — one of which is the Toronto Raptors.
“There are other teams that love Bronny. For example, Minnesota, Dallas, Toronto. If it’s not the Lakers, it will be someone else.”
The Raptors currently have the 19th and 31st picks in the 2024 draft, and with how up-and-down experts have been on Bronny’s NBA potential, he could be in consideration for either selection. According to Paul, it may not matter to Toronto’s front office that they haven’t seen Bronny up close.
“Masai (Ujiri) loves him,” said Paul. “They could take him without even seeing him at 31. Workouts aren’t everything for these teams.”
Bronny played one collegiate season at USC, averaging 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists on 36.6 and 26.7 per cent shooting from the field and three-point line. He played in 25 games, making his debut after taking five months off following a cardiac arrest incident.
“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 … it’s about fit,” Paul continued.
Don’t expect an impromptu workout between Bronny and Toronto (or any other team) days before the draft either. Paul says the younger James is likely done with workouts barring an unexpected turn of events.
“There could be last-minute stuff, if someone calls me late. We’ll see.”
Meaning, Raptors fans will just have to wait and see if they add arguably the highest-profile prospect in the draft to their team, while possibly reeling in LeBron, the bigger fish, as a result.