Teams reportedly still discussing drafting Bronny James in hopes his father LeBron would follow

Bronny James was clear: "I would be happy about getting to the league instead of me thinking about playing with my dad. That's not my mindset or not at all… I just want to have people know my name is Bronny James and not being identified as just LeBron James' son. I feel like that would great."

LeBron James' agent, Rich Paul, has made it clear to teams that they should not draft Bronny expecting LeBron to follow. Shams Charania of The Athletic said, "That's not a given. That's not something that's going to be preordained."

Those words haven't stopped teams from thinking that way.

Bronny could even be taken in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft if a team believes LeBron will follow, reports Dan Woike at the Los Angeles Times.

Forget second-round evaluations, multiple NBA executives told The Times their teams have discussed drafting Bronny James in the first round in an effort to lure his father to their team in free agency.

"If you're a contender and you're not having those conversations, it's irresponsible," said one executive, who like other NBA personnel spoke on condition of anonymity because teams don't share their draft strategy.

The question becomes, even in the face of voices telling them it's not going to happen, is there a team that will draft Bronny hoping all that was just talk and LeBron would come? It's at least being discussed, Woike notes in the LA Times.

The more likely outcome this summer is LeBron re-signs (or extends) with the Lakers regardless of who drafts his son — the Lakers are among the teams considering drafting Bronny — and if Bronny is drafted it will be in the second round (where contracts for rookies are not guaranteed).

All this news comes out of the NBA Draft Combine, where Bronny took part and tried to walk his own path out of his father's shadow. How Bronny did at the NBA Draft Combine last week depends upon who you ask, but none of it is overwhelmingly glowing. There were positives with his athleticism — he had a 40.5-inch vertical leap — and he had a 6'7" wingspan and 210-pound frame, all of which helped compensate for him measuring 6'1 ½" in socks. He also shot the ball well in a 3-point shooting drill (19-of-25 from 3), but that did not translate to the scrimmages, where he struggled from the floor. Scouts who watched those scrimmages and spoke with NBC Sports said he was not generally one of the more aggressive players, did not look like a pure point guard, and didn't show much of a left hand.

What Bronny looked like at the Combine was a project, a guy needing time in the G-League to develop his game at the professional level. Teams drafting him should expect that — his shot may not be there yet but his form is good, as is his basketball IQ and work ethic. He can develop into an NBA rotation player, but it will take time.

A team drafting him should understand that and know his father is not automatically walking through that door.

But the draw of LeBron — the still All-NBA level player at age 39, the team culture setter, and the business opportunity for whatever team he plays for — casts a shadow over everything with Bronny, at least in the minds of NBA front offices. It's going to take time for Bronny to get out of that shadow.