When James' eldest son, Bronny, announced his participation in the 2024 draft, it still caused quite a stir. Before he made such a decision, his family planned to transfer Bronny from the University of Southern California, and some sources even revealed that his next destination was Duquesne University, where the head coach was James's high school friend, and perhaps such a decision would make Bronny transform. However, considering the prospects of this year's draft, even the Spurs, who are the bottom of the West, have no desire to mess up, which is enough to show how unbearable this draft is. Although he averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.2 blocks per game in his freshman season, shooting 36.6% from the field, 26.7% from three-point range, and 67.6% from the free throw line.
Later, on the Club 520 podcast, former NBA player Jeff Teague gave a thought-provoking insight into Bronny. The former All-Star guard was like a wise mentor who pointed Bronny in the right direction. He admits that college basketball is not an ideal stage for Bronny, because his scoring ability doesn't increase or decrease depending on his college. Teague's advice is full of pragmatism and wisdom, as if telling Brownie that he should find a path that is truly suitable for him, to pursue his own glory. Teague not only gave advice, but also made bold predictions about Bronny's draft prospects. He thinks Bronny is likely to be drafted in the second round and may even lose the selection. However, in his mind, Bronny's ultimate destination can only be the Lakers. This remark undoubtedly caused waves in the basketball world, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, causing ripples.
You know, as many as seven teams are interested in Bronny and are willing to pick up the young star in the first round. The Los Angeles Lakers seem to be able to only play the role of foil in this battle. However, this does not mean that Teague's predictions are unfounded. Looking back on the previous draft meeting, I thought it was a contest between NBA executives, but I never thought that they also had games with players and agent teams. Although this situation did not directly affect the progress of the draft, this kind of bad is not uncommon in the draft, among which Spurs backup forward Barlow is the most typical case, when it is clear that he is going to be drafted in the second round by a team he does not like, Barlow and his agent expressed their rejection of the other party's kindness, indicating that they want to play for San Antonio, all in their plan. When the moment after the loss, Spurs general manager Wright decisively brought him to the Holy City with a two-way contract and launched his career. In Bronny's case, the Lakers could follow suit.
With the lessons learned, the Lakers are now comfortable with reinforcements, and this will undoubtedly strengthen James' determination to stay with the team. Although the 39-year-old opted to jump out of his contract this summer, deep down he still longs to end his career in the afterglow of the Purple and Gold dynasty. However, it was not easy for Pelinka to accomplish all of this. Bronny's addition undoubtedly added a touch of color to the Lakers and paved the way for the realization of the dream of James father and son on the same stage. This historic moment will be an excellent opportunity for Jeanie Bath to expand its influence and seek more benefits. However, James' future remains uncertain. Compared to other championship favorites, the Los Angeles Lakers seem to struggle to be at the top of the list, which undoubtedly adds a layer of uncertainty to James' future prospects.