Agent Rich Paul has been consistent throughout the process; he only wants Bronny James to have a full NBA contract and not a two-way deal; he cares more about fit than exactly which team Bronny is taken by; there is no link between drafting Bronny and what LeBron James will do as a potential free agent.

Paul repeated all those things in an ESPN interview with Jonathan Givony, but he also included a few fresh parts.First, Bronny has exclusively worked for the Lakers and Suns—that is, by design. While other teams have requested to check out Bronny — Paul notes Dallas, Minnesota, and Toronto — Paul says he is more concerned with fit.“I got the word out early to teams that if you intend to bring Bronny in, here’s what you need to know: there’s nothing to talk about if you won’t offer him a real deal.” Real development on a two-way agreement can be difficult. Whether he goes to the Lakers, Phoenix, or about what number he gets selected, none of it matters to me. It’s about fit.”Other teams find Bronny rather appealing. Take Minnesota, Dallas, Toronto, for instance. It will be someone else if it is not the Lakers. Minnesota would dearly want Bronny in, but I’m not sure what owner they would want. To Bronny, [Mavs GM] Nico Harrison serves as an uncle. Dallas would pick him at 58 and guarantee a deal if the Lakers reject him at 55. Masai [Ujiri, President of Raptors,] loves him. They could pick him without even having a look at 31. For these teams, workouts are not everything.Paul also emphasised not new so much as an emphatic reassertion that Bronny and LeBron are not connected in this process. Drafting Bronny is not a path to LeBron. Specifically, the second-apron Suns can only offer a veteran minimum to free agents; some Suns supporters online—perhaps just trolls seeking interaction—seemed to believe if Phoenix signed Bronny then LeBron would choose to play for the minimum with the Suns out of his $51.4 million contract with the Lakers.The squad that drafts Bronny James will Betting odds reveаl who might take LeBron’s son in 2024 NBA Draft | Sporting News“LeBron is off this idea of having to play with Bronny,” Paul told 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.”The Suns only pick is No. 22 of the first round and that would be early to take Bronny, especially for a veteran-heavy, win-now team that should be looking for an older player who has already developed and can come in and contribute next season. The Lakers are not going to take Bronny at No. 17 (a pick they are actively trying to trade), but it feels like his floor is Los Angeles at No. 55. It’s also not that hard to acquire second round picks, if the Suns, Lakers or another team wаnted to buy or trade for a pick in the 40s to use on Bronny, the price would not be that steep.There will be a lot of Bronny talk on the first night of the NBA Draft, but it’s unlikely he will hear his nаme called in the first round. The second night, the draft’s second round, will be more interesting than usual this season because of the Bronny drаmа.