Bronny's agent says Raptors "love" him and could be option in NBA Draft

There was once a moment in time when it seemed completely unlikely that LeBron James would ever end up playing for the Toronto Raptors.

And while it’s still almost a guarantee it’ll never happen, there’s at least somewhat of a realistic possibility that the Raptors could end up with his son, Bronny James.

The 19-year-old is heading into next week’s NBA Draft after a challenging freshman season at USC, with a delayed start due to a cardiac arrest suffered in a practice last July.

And according to quotes from his agent, Rich Paul, the Raptors are in the mix of teams with some interest in the younger James.

Paul said that James had worked out for two teams — the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers, where his dad has played the last four seasons, though he’s yet to exercise his player option for 2024-25.

The Raptors hold the 19th and 31st overall selections, and there are indications that Bronny is a possibility for Toronto at either pick should he be available.

James averaged just 4.8 points per game in his rookie season, averaging 19.4 minutes per game and putting up 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists.

“There are other teams that love Bronny [other than Los Angeles and Phoenix]. For example, Minnesota, Dallas, Toronto. If it’s not the Lakers, it will be someone else. Minnesota would love to get Bronny in, but I don’t know who their owner is going to be. [Mavs GM] Nico Harrison is like an uncle to Bronny. If the Lakers don’t take him at 55, Dallas would take him at 58 and give him a guaranteed deal. Masai [Ujiri, Raptors president] loves him. They could take him without even seeing him at 31. Workouts aren’t everything for these teams,” Paul told ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.

James had previously expressed his desire to play with his son, though Bronny refuted that idea would have much of an impact on his final NBA destination.

“My dream has always just been to put my name out, make a name for myself and get to the NBA,” he said at the NBA draft combine, as per USA Today. “Everything that follows my dad, people just try to link me with that and all the greatness that he’s achieved. I haven’t done anything yet, so I feel like there needs to be that divide between Bronny and LeBron.”

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