Acquiring Bronny James may cost up to $7 million for LA Lakers, per NBA Insider
The Bronny James' sweepstakes could prove expensive for the LA Lakers as agent Rich Paul revealed his client's decision to stay in the 2024 NBA Draft and forgoing college eligibility. The Lakers are the favorites to land Bronny, but they aren't expected to use the No. 17 pick on LeBron James' eldest son.
Instead, the Lakers might look to get him with the No. 55 pick. However, if a team with a late first-round selection or one with an early second-round selection picks Bronny, LA might look to trade down, or up, or buy the pick.
The Athletic's Lakers' insider Jovan Buha listed the Lakers' options in the draft during an appearance on Fox Sports LA on Wednesday, saying:
"There are very good chances (Lakers acquire Bronny). I think No. 17 (pick) is going to be a little too high for Bronny, sounding right now like he's more of a late first-round pick into early to mid-second-round pick territory. I've been told picks 25 to 40 is the wide range in terms of how teams view those prospects."
Buha reported the Lakers might move the No. 17 pick and look for immediate help via trade. He then pointed out the best chances of LA drafting Bronny James, saying:
"More realistically if you see Bronny ending up on the Lakers, it's likely them either trading back or buying a pick ... So maybe he goes like pick 34, early in the second-round and whatever team that drafts him has an agreement with the Lakers where they then could trade Bronny. Lakers could send cash up to about $7 million."
You can listen to Jovan Buha's comments on the Lakers potentially acquiring Bronny James after the 3:14 minute mark.
Buying picks or trading for cash is a common way for teams to engage in deals. Generally, the contenders without a pick or with a later selection look to move up the draft without including assets. In Bronny's case, as Buha pointed out, the Lakers could agree on a deal with a team with a selection between the 25th and 40th pick in the draft, which they will trade to the Lakers for cash or future assets.
Securing Bronny James all but decides LeBron James' future with Lakers
Bronny James' Lakers murmurs have been prominent, with LeBron James' future tied to his son's NBA prospects. It happened after James revealed in 2022 that he wanted to finish his career playing with his eldest son. His last contract extension with the Lakers was worth $97.1 million and it was seemingly structured to give LeBron flexibility to decide his options when Bronny enters the 2024 draft.
With Bronny's decision to remain in the draft, the eyes will turn to how the Lakers deal with the situation, especially with LeBron likely heading into free agency by declining his $51.4 million player option for next season. LeBron is favored to re-sign, but his free agency choices in the past have been unpredictable.
Hence, the Lakers may not want to take a chance with letting LeBron James walk for nothing, opening the doors for them to pursue Bronny.