Bronny James Rumors: Lakers, Suns Workouts Planned amid Multiple Invites, LeBron Buzz
May 28, 2024
On the heels of a promising showing at the NBA Scouting Combine, Bronny James is lining up private workouts with teams leading up to the draft.
On FanDuel TV's Run It Back, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium said Jones plans to work out with a couple of teams, including the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers, despite receiving invites from more than 10 clubs.
Run It Back @RunItBackFDTV"Bronny James has over 10 workout invites… I'm told he's only going to visit a couple of those, and that's going to include the Lakers and the Phoenix Suns" 👀<a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ShamsCharania</a> with the latest on Bronny James <a href="https://t.co/DlvjeM7tAT">pic.twitter.com/DlvjeM7tAT</a>
The Lakers' interest in Bronny comes as LeBron James' future with the organization remains uncertain. He hasn't decided about his $51.4 million player option for next season, but his agent, Rich Paul, said on Sunday during an alternate broadcast of Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals that James "is a free agent."
Paul walked back that comment when asked about it by Chris Haynes of TNT Sports and B/R: "I don't know what he's gonna do. We're gonna do what we do every year. We're gonna evaluate the situation and we're gonna make the best decision."
Charania reported last week that Bronny was "among several players" the Suns were considering with the No. 22 pick in the first round.
Charania, Jovan Buha and Sam Amick reported in April the Lakers were "open to the prospect" of drafting James.
ESPN's Jamal Collier noted James' combine performance helped solidify his status as a potential second-round talent after recording a vertical jump of 40.5" and shooting 19-of-25 from behind the arc during the three-point shooting drill.
While the combine did boost James' stock, his standing leading up to the draft remains all over the place.
Wasserman, who didn't have James in his most recent mock released on May 21, noted the expectation around the NBA is the Lakers are the one team that might draft him with their second-round pick at No. 55 overall if he's going to be selected.
If the Suns are really enamored with James, they would either need to use their first-round pick to draft him or trade into the second round. The No. 22 pick is currently their only selection in the 2024 draft.
James averaged 4.8 points on 36.6 percent shooting, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game in 25 appearances for USC last season as a freshman. He missed the team's first eight games recovering from cardiac arrest suffered during practice in July 2023.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Jonathan Givony reported on May 13 that James was cleared to be drafted by the NBA's Fitness to Play Panel.
The 2024 NBA draft will be held at Barclays Center from June 26-27.