Rich Paul, chief executive of Klutch Sports Group, told ESPN on Wednesday that doesn’t mean those two aren’t the only potential landing spots for LeBron James’ oldest son. Paul said several other teams — naming the Minnesota Timberwolves, Dallas Mavericks and Toronto Raptors as examples — have expressed interest and that those could be good fits for his client as well.
“The goal is to find a team that values your guy and try to push him to get there,” Paul said. “It’s important to understand the context and realize that this has always been the strategy with many of my clients throughout the years, especially those in need of development like Bronny. My stuff is by design.”
The Lakers hold the No. 17 and No. 55 picks in the June 26-27 draft. The Suns pick at No. 22.
“I don’t care about him going to the Lakers, or Phoenix, or about what number he gets picked,” Paul said. “It’s about fit.”
It’s hard not to notice, however, that one of the two teams granted a workout from the former USC guard just happens to be the one his father plays for — at least for now. LeBron James can opt out of his contract with the Lakers this summer and become a free agent. The NBA’s all-time leading scorer said earlier in his career that his dream was to one day play with his son in the NBA but has since backed off that idea.
Paul, who represents both James men, told ESPN there’s no father-son package deal being offered.
“LeBron is off this idea of having to play with Bronny,” Paul said. “If he does, he does. But if he doesn’t, he doesn’t. There’s no deal made that it’s guaranteed that if the Lakers draft Bronny at 55, [LeBron] will re-sign. If that was the case, I would force them to take him at 17. We don’t need leverage. The Lakers can draft Bronny and LeBron doesn’t re-sign. LeBron is also not going to Phoenix for a minimum deal. We can squash that now.
“There are other teams that love Bronny. For example, Minnesota, Dallas, Toronto. If it’s not the Lakers, it will be someone else. … Workouts aren’t everything for these teams.”