Bronny James staying in NBA Draft, will not return to college, according to Rich Paul
James' agent has said his client will not sign a two-way deal with an NBA team.
Bronny James will forgo his remaining college eligibility and remain in the 2024 NBA Draft, his agent, Rich Paul, told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Jonathan Givony.
James, 19, has until 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday to make his intention clear ahead the June 26-27 draft.
In April, James, son of NBA superstar LeBron James, declared for the draft while maintaining his college eligibility and entered the NCAA transfer portal. It was expected he would go pro after he was medically cleared by the NBA’s Fitness to Play Panel earlier this month.
Bronny James experienced a cardiac arrest event during a workout last July.
Bronny's' draft stock has him pegged to be selected some time in the second round. According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, the Phoenix Suns, whose sole pick is 22nd overall, will hold a workout for Bronny this week.
Despite numerous invites, Bronny is expected to only work out for a few teams, including the Suns and Los Angeles Lakers.
"Bronny James has done enough this week to be drafted.”@krystenpeek thinks Bronny will be in the league next season 👀 pic.twitter.com/VGWufOKvR4
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) May 17, 2024
Paul made it clear to NBA teams in an interview with Bleacher Report's Chris Haynes that his client would not be signing a two-way deal and he expects Bronny to be on an active roster.
"Bronny's [draft] range is wide," Paul told ESPN. "He's a really good prospect who has a lot of room for growth. It only takes one team. I don't care where that team is — it can be No. 1 or 58 — [but] I do care about the plan, the development. The team's strategy, the opportunity and the financial commitment. That's why I'm not doing a two-way deal. Every team understands that."
As Bronny approaches entering the NBA, there has been much speculation about the future of his father. LeBron has a June 29 player option deadline and some teams may be thinking if they draft Bronny, they will have a good chance at signing LeBron.
The Lakers' only pick this year is No. 55 overall. Paul said that he wouldn't be upset if the Lakers pass on Bronny. He wants his client in the right situation to get his NBA career started in a positive way. Paul understands Bronny is not his father, and there is the chance that he may not be drafted at all.
"I'm not putting unrealistic expectations on Bronny. He's far from a finished product. But he has a hell of start. He's positioned well. ... I don't see him not getting drafted, but if it got to a point where the situations didn't make sense and we needed to go undrafted, that's fine."
