Rich Paul squashes ‘package deal’ speculation involving LeBron James and Bronny James
As the 2024 NBA Draft approaches the anticipation surrounding Bronny James is intense, but his agent - also his father’s - has made a few things very clear.
While he’s not likely to go in the first round, there is no way to deny that the son of the Los Angeles Lakers’ icon is the biggest name in the coming Draft. The USC guard looks like a second-round pick but that hasn’t stopped speculation about where he will play and whether there may be some kind of joint deal in place with his dad.
Rich Paul squashes LeBron & Bronny package deal rumors
As we’ve already stated, there’s been a whole lot of speculation surrounding Bronny James’ arrival in the NBA, but perhaps one of the most interesting developments amid the noise is the notion that Bronny and his father, Lakers star LeBron James could play together this season via a joint deal depending on which team selects the 19-year-old.
To hear Rich Paul tell it, that’s not going to happen. Indeed, the James’ agent made no qualms about the idea that there is no father/son “package deal” on the table this offseason. This of course comes on the back of reports confirming that the elder James could in fact hit free agency after the 2024-25 season should he choose to decline his $51.4 million player option. That said, it’s now clear that his son’s landing spot won’t have an effect on the situation.
“LeBron is off this idea of having to play with Bronny,” Paul said, via 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 No. 55, [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.” Interestingly, Paul also confirmed that the younger James isn’t pushing for a specific team but is more interested in a place where he will find the best fit. At present, the form Trojan has only worked out with the Lakers and Suns, but it’s understood that other teams have shown interest such as the Minnesota Timberwolves, Toronto Raptos, and the Dallas Mavericks who recently lost the NBA Finals to the Boston Celtics. As we always say, ‘watch this space.’