Los Angeles Lakers

Pros and Cons of Los Angeles Lakers Drafting Bronny James

Every draft pick made by the Los Angeles Lakers is both overvalued and overanalyzed. That will apply to the 17th and 55th picks this year, and that's especially true if the front office uses one on LeBron James' son, Bronny.

Once he's on the roster, the attention is going to ratchet up even more.

Of course, it's far from a foregone conclusion that he'll wind up on the Lakers, but it's at least a possibility.

And it's a strong enough possibility to weigh the pros and cons of that potential pairing.

Pro: LeBron Gets to Play with His Son

For much of the last 18 months, LeBron has been pretty open about wanting to play NBA basketball with his son.

"I would love to do the whole Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr. thing," he told ESPN in January 2023. "That would be ideal for sure."

A year after that interview, LeBron followed up a Lakers loss by saying his son "could play for us right now. Easy."

And after the Lakers were eliminated by the Denver Nuggets this postseason, a report almost immediately hit the internet suggesting L.A. was open to drafting Bronny.

More recently, the All-Star and his agent have backed off the idea that he and his son are a package deal, but it's still fair to say LeBron would still appreciate the opportunity to suit up with his son.

Giving a legend such an opportunity is good business. It'll draw even more eyeballs to an already popular franchise. It will make LeBron happy, and it will fulfill a dream no one else has been able to live out in the NBA.

Con: The Potential Media Circus

Whether they're contenders or not, few teams in the NBA garner the kind of consistent attention the Lakers do. And if Bronny is drafted to the team this week, that focus is going to intensify.

Even if he's not ready, you can be sure some outlet or analyst will wonder (and probably pretty loudly) why he isn't playing. That noise will be worse during rough patches of the season.

And if we've learned anything about the Lakers over the last decade or so, it's that there will be rough patches.

What would be worse (though maybe not as expected) is if the pressure to play the young James starts to come from his dad.

There are a lot of hypothetical dominos in play there, but this is the Lakers. Drama seems to follow them, regardless of circumstance. And this is a circumstance that might welcome it.

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Will Bronny Go in the 2nd Round of the Draft?

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I want to play with my son the last years of my career.

LeBron James

LeBron On The Move

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NBA Rumors: Lakers, JJ Redick Agree to 4-Year HC Contract Amid LeBron James Buzz

The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly turning to JJ Redick to help them achieve their championship aspirations.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the two sides agreed to a four-year deal to make Redick the team's next head coach on Thursday. The Athletic's Shams Charania, Sam Amick and Jovan Buha reported that the deal is "in the neighborhood of $8 million per season."

2-pointer by P.J. Washington