Rich Paul threatened NBA teams Bronny James will play in Australia if he doesn’t get drafted by Lakers

Bronny James was not going to sign a two-way contract with any other team.

Rich Paul threatened NBA teams Bronny James will play in Australia if he doesn’t get drafted by Lakers

Rich Paul threatened NBA teams to stay away from LeBron James' son Bronny James so that he can be drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers

Bronny James is now a part of the Los Angeles Lakers franchise. The former USC star was selected with the 55th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. However, the Lakers were not the only team who had their eyes on LeBron James‘ son.

Some teams were looking to take the chance of probably getting his all-time leading scorer farther along in free agency. However, agent Rich Paul apparently threatened teams to avoid them drafting his client.

ESPN analyst Bob Myers was asked during their 2024 NBA Draft show if he had any news surrounding Bronny James. In response, the former GM provided an expose of the behind-the-scenes proceedings.

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Rich Paul is calling teams, don't take Bronny James. If you take him, he's going to Australia. So, he has a plan, and he has a place.
Bob Myers said

This revelation suggests that Rich Paul was making it clear to the other NBA teams to not draft Bronny James. He will most likely decline the contract and end up playing in Australia.

Even though this might be a rumor, past events have shown a similar stance from the Klutch Sports founder. Weeks before the draft, he was very clear to all the teams that James Jr. will not sign a 2-way contract. Something that is commonplace when signing second-round picks.

He was clear that his client, Bronny James, would only sign if the contract was guaranteed for the full season. The benefit players have is that they can decline any contract. This is what Bob Myers referred to when he said he could play in Australia.

Bronny James can provide valuable production for Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers never have cap space. Now, with the possibility of them offering LeBron James a massive 3-year contract, that cap space will shrink further. Then they are looking to bring in another star to pair with James and Anthony Davis, which will make matters worse. As in, they still need solid rotational players.

Getting Bronny James for a rookie minimum contract means they kill two birds with one stone. They get a 3-and-D player who has elite athleticism and having his father around will be pushed every day to play at his best. More importantly, they get those skills for one of the lowest salaries in the league. Add fellow draftee Dalton Knecht and the Lakers have almost solved their lack of 3-point shooting.

Therefore, Bronny James will not be a fly-in-the-pan player for the Los Angeles Lakers. But a valuable contributor from the bench for years to come. If he develops into a starter, then all the better.

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