Report: Lakers widely expected to draft Bronny James

There continues to be tons of chatter linking Bronny James, the eldest son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, to the iconic franchise.

According to Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus, the Lakers are widely expected to select the younger James later this month in the 2024 NBA Draft.

“The Lakers are widely expected to draft Bronny either with one of their own two picks (Nos. 17 or 55) or by trading up in the second round,” Pincus wrote.

The younger James should be available for the Lakers to select at No. 17, though that would probably be a bit of a reach, at least in the eyes of many. ESPN ranks the University of Southern California product 52nd on its list of best prospects available in the draft, while CBS has him 53rd.

Picking him up in the second round is probably a better idea, though he might not be available by the time the No. 55 pick rolls around. So, Rob Pelinka and the rest of the Lakers front office will have to decide how much they like the younger James.

The elder James hasn’t publicly put any pressure on the Lakers to draft his son. Perhaps that’s something he’s doing behind closed doors.

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith has spoken a lot about the possibility of the younger James joining the Lakers, stating that his sources have told him that the NBA’s all-time leading scorer is trying to get L.A. to choose his son with its second-round pick. Smith also theorized that the prospect’s draft stock is being manipulated to potentially allow the Lakers to pick him.

Besides preparing for the draft, the Lakers are also looking for their next head coach. All signs were pointing to J.J. Redick — who hosts a podcast with the elder James — taking over, but ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski sent shock waves through the league by reporting that the franchise is targeting Dan Hurley, the University of Connecticut men’s basketball coach.

The 2024 draft is set to take place over the span of two days, with the first round taking place on June 26 and second round taking place on June 27.

Only time will tell if the younger James and his dad are both sporting purple and gold next season.