r/nba • u/PianoJealous307 • 8h ago
NBA executive: "There's definitely interest" in Bronny James around the league. “He’s gotten much better in a short period. He knows his role, and it’s hard to find young guys who just want to excel in their role”. A Bronny James trade could potentially net the Lakers 1 or 2 second round picks.
But don’t rule outa Bronny James trade, not because the Lakers are seeking to sump him but because he could bring in draft assets–even a second rounder or two, which is what James would bring. “There’s definitely interest there,” one executive said of other teams nosing around on James. “He’s gotten much better in a short period. He knows his role, and it’s hard to find young guys who just want to excel in their role.” Again, we’re not talking first-round picks, and dumping Knecht is still probably the Lakers’ path. But Bronny James being traded because of his own ability and not because of his dad would be a great story.
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u/dylanwally Lakers 8h ago edited 8h ago
if he’s valued that much and people like him that much it just makes much more sense for the lakers to keep him and have that extra depth lol
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u/ChaseBank5 7h ago
Yeah this sounds like it comes straight from their front office lol.
Sell all the benefits and get more in return. He isn't completely awful which was cool to see. I definitely think he's got a solid bench position for years to come, maybe not on deep teams.
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u/songssohiaa 2h ago
How does a second round pick in prove and only net a second round pick 😂
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u/SeaPeanut7_ 7h ago
exactly lol. Why do we want to develop more draft capital? Luka and AR aren’t young anymore, the point is to win now or soon
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u/bmoreboy410 Mavericks 7h ago
Right. He is so good and valuable that they can get a whole 2nd round pick for him. 😆
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u/Febos 7h ago
Lakers have one player to many. They would rather trade Knecht. But between releasing Knecht or trading LeBron, there is no brainier what to chose.
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u/dgvhjiiuyttrrffcvbjj 5h ago edited 1h ago
so they trade bronny for 1-2 2RPs, which then allows them to trade knecht with 1-2 2RPs for a fringe rotation player.
why is that a no brainer? might as well just cut your losses and keep the fan favorite house-developed guy you already have.
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u/rogozh1n 7h ago
Do the Lakers need 5-10 min a game of a defensive athlete off the bench, or do they need more offense?
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u/throwmeinthetrassssh 7h ago
Yeah I kind of agree with the sentiment as I've seen enough from Bronny to expect him to become a very solid role player. He's a little undersized but he's already a good defender and decent playmaker. He still needs to develop some confidence in his shooting and doesn't have a lot of weapons offensively, but even if all he'll ever be is a defensively minded back up ball handler, I don't see why you'd give him up for a 2nd round pick
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u/gmpsstg 8h ago
Is the exec Rob Pelinka?
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u/SlamDunkly Trail Blazers 8h ago
“Let call the executive R Pelinka. Wait that’s too obvious. Let’s call him, Rob P.”
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u/Gristle__McThornbody Lakers 7h ago
It's not. If you read the quote it doesn't say something stupid like comparing Bronny to Tropic Thunder.
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u/correnty 8h ago
The 76ers acquire bronny james for 2 second round picks thanks LeGM
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u/KeenObserver_OT 8h ago
Yeah that’s going to be the price for LeBrons sweetheart deal. Give up 2s to legitimize my son.
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u/randommaniac12 Raptors 8h ago
Tbf 2 second round picks to be able to sign LeBron is hardly a bad deal
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u/Professional-Bit1957 7h ago
What other players can you get for two 2nds?
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u/The_Thirsty_Crow 76ers 6h ago
For Sixers picks that are likely to be near the end of the round? The chances you get someone that ever plays meaningful minutes in the league with either of those picks is extremely small.
I wouldn’t trade for Bronny at all. Let him be his own player somewhere where his dad is not. Also, if he can’t get minutes on the Lakers, there’s no way he gets minutes on the Sixers.
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u/nowhathappenedwas NBA 7h ago
The Sixers trading two picks for Bronny would do the opposite of legitimizing him.
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u/dkmegg22 Pelicans 7h ago
Honestly I'd say let him play upto the trade deadline and see how he does soo teams can see what he can do without the specter of LeGM
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u/SharpMind94 Cavaliers 7h ago
He's not going to get a lot of minutes to prove anything
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u/dgvhjiiuyttrrffcvbjj 5h ago
why wouldn't he? he got minutes in the playoffs, surely there are going to be minutes available in the regular season. especially if he can be any level of 3&D guard which they desperately need.
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u/Kwilly462 Nets 8h ago
2 second round picks for a second round pick? That's like... Two Bronny's for the price of one!
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u/yitdeedee 8h ago
Everyone knows your value is the pick you were initially drafted in.
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u/Kwilly462 Nets 8h ago
OK fine, then two Jokic's for the price of one Bronny
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u/wayward_prince Hawks 8h ago
Bronny for Jokic and a second. Who says no?
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u/gmwdim Pistons 8h ago
Average Nikola Jokic: 18,009 career points.
Average LeBron James: 21,812 career points.
Seems about fair.
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u/420Microbiologist Warriors 8h ago
A bronny is a bronny but a second round pick could be anything, even a bronny!
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u/No_Detective_1139 Pistons 8h ago
A second is not that much. Teams trade them all the time for cash considerations.
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u/AddisonsContracture 76ers 8h ago
Why not just keep him then? A second rounder isn’t moving the needle for the lakers right now
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u/Aggressive-Law-9305 8h ago
Well they need to get down to 15 roster spots so someone has to go. DK is probably the most likely choice but the lakers don’t have a lot of assets to trade rn but another 2nd added to the 3 they already have def helps. “Moving the needle” or not. Think thst expression is overused anyways specially n here lmao
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u/HokageEzio Knicks 8h ago
Never know when those picks can be worked into a future trade to grease the wheels.
Assuming they actually could get multiple.
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u/DaBusDriva2 Lakers 8h ago
He will have an above average outcome for a 55th pick but nobody wanted to hear that during the draft
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u/ComprehensiveDog9533 Nuggets 8h ago
If the lakers get two seconds for bronny he was pretty objectively the best pick at number 55 they could have made, but i’m sure people will continue to act like the next MJ almost got drafted but bronny stole his spot in the league
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u/pythonesqueviper Knicks 6h ago
The guy drafted two spots after Bronny James, Ulrich Chomche, is a Cameroonian teenager who since the start of 2021 has played 19 total games in the Basketball Africa League, and who averaged four points on 29 percent shooting across the 2022–23 season. I will drink a glass of ranch dressing if Chomche ever scores 20 points in an NBA game.
Chris Thompson of Defector
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u/Smok3dSalmon Heat 6h ago
That’s a win-win as long as he’s got some pizza or wings to wash it down.
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u/SincereDoom Timberwolves 6h ago
Only dude available there that I’d for sure rather have was Daniss Jenkins, but even then I think finding the second best guy available that late in the draft, when every pick is a crapshoot, is an undeniable win
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u/LambdaLambo Celtics 7h ago
Two things can be true
1) he’s much better than expected and is a legitimate NBA talent
2) no one with his college performance or physicals is sniffing anywhere close to the draft without being LeBron’s son.And yes I know what some ppl will say “he had a cardiac arrest, ofc his numbers will be bad”. Hate to break it to you, but having a heart defect makes you far less likely to be drafted, so this just makes that case worse.
So yes, kudos to Bronny for proving everyone wrong, but it’s totally rational for people to have had doubts.
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u/Low-Grocery989 7h ago
I think any random college kid with a 50% genetic match to LeBron is worth a flyer.
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u/nbaistheworst 6h ago
As far as "legitimate NBA talent" goes, comparted to who?
How many other players that averaged 2.7 ppg on 37%/35%/81% with 0.6 rpg and 1.1 apg in their 1st 2 seasons are still on a team?
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u/Desperate-Hat-2510 7h ago
I don't think his situation was much different than like a Justin Edwards type. Sure Bronny got drafted vs. Edwards was undrafted, but most guys prefer the undrafted route over the end of the 2nd round. Both good high school prospects that looked pretty terrible in college (and Bronny had the valid excuse of his health scare).
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u/Sudden_Diamond5501 7h ago
yea but him being lebron’s son isn’t a nepotism kinda thing, it’s a “holy shit this dude was taught and raised by lebron his whole life, he’s probably got what it takes to succeed” kinda thing.
like yes it matters because while he isn’t anything physically like lebron, so much of what makes bron bron is his mind and emotional approach, and those are things that can be at least somewhat taught. and as we’re seeing, bronny does have what it takes to succeed.
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u/Nickrophiliac 6h ago
Yeah definitely not nepotism. That’s why only the Lakers wanted to draft him.
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u/Sudden_Diamond5501 6h ago
there were reports back then of rich paul maneuvering to make sure he stayed undrafted til the 55th. like he’d just go back to college if drafted by someone other than the lakers type beat. who knows what really happened, but his late signing doesn’t prove anything.
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u/KARSbenicillin 6h ago
Yea they wanted him so bad just to satisfy Lebron they drafted him at 55 over the next MJ.
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u/HikmetLeGuin 5h ago
It was reported that other teams were interested.
He was picked 55th and has already achieved more / demonstrated more ability than a lot of guys taken at that position.
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u/ddottay Cavaliers 7h ago
He would not have been the 55th pick without his name though.
He earned his role since then, but it doesn’t change that anyone else would have gone undrafted.
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u/Wavepops 8h ago
He gets more investment and opportunities than a typical 55th pick tho. He also had a guaranteed deal for multiple years immediately
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u/eZreazy Lakers 7h ago
Did he really? His contract being guaranteed when it usually isn’t in that range for sure but he’s also sold more in jerseys and would’ve made more with NIL. Other than his nepo start in his first game just to have that moment with his dad he’s been given the minutes he deserves imo. All he got all first year was garbage time.
In the second year he got minutes after we were ravaged by injuries and was clearly one of the guys that didn’t look completely lost in our third string. Whenever the guards ahead of him were all healthy he rightfully lost all his minutes and came back to dnps. His minutes were all basically injury relief but he was definitely better than any of our two ways and third string guys.
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u/Wavepops 7h ago
sure thats your opinion, but people need to add alot of context when comparing him to late second rounders. he has so much treatment and investment that other guys dont get. and his minutes were not all injury relief, he also got that contract before he proved anything.
lastly even him getting garbage time to start out wasnt earned, its not like he outplayed guys at the end of the bench to get that opportunity. hes done well with his opportunity but its just drastically different than what a typical 55th pick get, esp with the lack of resume bronny has.
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u/JZervas 8h ago
I think the pick was fine. Not uncommon for 2nd rounders to get drafted for potential rather than what they showed in college. If it kept Sr. happy and they're now able to get back that 2nd round pick, seems like a win.
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u/Uhhhjayyy1 7h ago edited 7h ago
I mean he’s been better than lottery guys like Dalton and JHS
For a 50th pick in a weak draft, he’s not bad. Could carve a good career off the bench
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u/axecalibur Knicks 7h ago
Only the Lakers get stories about who their final garbage roster cut is going to be.
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u/Jarxzz United States 8h ago
There’s 0 chance the lakers could get multiple seconds for Bronny. And if they can they need to do that immediately
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u/Baseball12229 8h ago
NBA teams trade 2nd round picks like candy.
Like I get Bronny is the joke nepo baby but his career is already more impressive as is than a large portion of 2nd round picks. It’s really not that outlandish.
Shit, teams sell 2nd picks for cash quite often. He could make some of that value back in ironic jersey sales even if he never touches the court
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u/chewytime 8h ago
I feel like this is all smoke and mirrors to boost up his trade value. At the very least, if he does get traded, his new team should give him #23 and have him drop the Jr and watch the jersey sales come in.
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u/PRpitohead Lakers 8h ago
Bronny's really gonna play with LeDad again this year on the Laker's dime isn't he.
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u/Gontofinddad 8h ago
If they can get a 2nd rnd pick out of Bronny, he was a neutral selection. Not bad.
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u/Majestic_Branch1859 8h ago
lol lebron wants him in philly
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u/schooli00 [TOR] Vince Carter 8h ago
Are they sharing a helicopter tho?
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u/Majestic_Branch1859 7h ago
big yikes philly cant be that bad lebron just move there, im sure the whole city isnt like kensington.
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u/thisisjustascreename Bulls 7h ago
The endless hype over this guy who's barely a 15th player is tiresome.
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u/songssohiaa 2h ago
So a second round pick has improved to the point where he could get a second back in a trade lol
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u/slballer Pistons 59m ago
Very sneaky the Lakers front office leaking this so they can offload Bronny. Bravo.
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u/TheCentralFlame 7h ago
And that executive is a lakers executive. I bet if he got cut he would find a team willing to give him a chance in Philadelphia.
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u/kanakaishou 8h ago
I mean, he’s a good 10th-11th man. Far from an unplayable guy. The less you need that slot for a guy to develop, the better he looks.
He’ll get a small 2nd contract, and while obviously surviving the first 2 years was his last name, the 2nd contract is likely his talent, not just the name. Which is better than a decent percentage of his draft class.
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u/TomlinSteelers 76ers 6h ago
As much as it feels weird to feel sorry for a billionaire NBA player. The dude is legit good and gets a lot of shit just because he's LeBron's son
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u/dpete88 Lakers 8h ago
I would love for him to prove everyone else wrong but I doubt he has a spot on a roster after his dad retires
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u/TonyHawktuah69 8h ago
2ppg guard that can’t shoot well, is small, and can’t dribble.
Nah if Rob finesses some team out of a pick or handful of seconds for him he deserves a raise
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u/a_talking_face 8h ago
He already deserves ownership shares for getting Luka in a trade for AD.
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u/Splittinghairs7 Gran Destino 8h ago
38% three point shooter is a bad shooter now?
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u/Smekledorf1996 8h ago edited 7h ago
On 1.4 attempts per game
Last year he averaged 1.2 attempts per game as a reference
He averaged 28% last year and the difference in 3 pointers made is like 0.2
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u/yellowwatta Heat 8h ago
He seems to be serviceable and definitely working hard on his game but interest for a trade seems a bit crazy
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u/SharpMind94 Cavaliers 8h ago
The Lakers should look to move him if they can net some form of a return in terms of bench players
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u/IgnantWisdom Supersonics 7h ago
If he’s truly desirable and effective in his role. Why would they trade him for a 2nd or 2 which is just another bullshit gamble hoping you get roleplayer who will be effective in their role like they say Bronny already is..?
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u/LAEverything1 8h ago
The logic is not logic-ing. Bronny stans are mad that he's worth two seconds and that teams want him??
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u/AprilFool85Percent Mavericks 6h ago
Before Bronny, Giannis was the most a egregious case of nepotism ever. LeFlop has now usurped that role entirely by allowing his son, who avgd 2 POINTS A GAME, to see the court for some ungodly reason. This is going to be so funny to watch media try and convince us otherwise 😂😂😂
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u/Horror_Response_1991 Magic 8h ago
“ But don’t rule outa Bronny James trade, not because the Lakers are seeking to sump him but because he could bring in draft assets–even a second rounder”
So they would trade him for what they used to get him. How is this not dumping him?
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u/muhammad_oli Pelicans 8h ago
How is it dumping him if they get the same value? Dumping implies less value returned.
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u/JustoTJ 7h ago
Translation: Lakers are looking to trade Bronny but no one wants him at their asking price!!
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u/Jbrahms4 8h ago
So many of ya'll shit on Bronny, but he is playing to be Marcus Smart, and succeeding. He's mature, and doesn't play hero ball. And he still has upside.
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u/saints21 8h ago
Except there's a very very wide gulf between Bronny and Smart right now. And multiple oceans between Smart at his peak and Bronny...
The kid may hang around the league because he does seem to work hard and isn't trying to be anything but a role player. But the chances of him ever getting remotely close to Smart are basically nil. He can't dribble, he's undersized, he's not a playmaker, and there's still a lot of questions about his shot. He tries hard on defense and is athletic...that's it. There's plenty of other guys that can do the same.
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u/Federal_Aardvark2387 8h ago
This feels like Philly’s GM doing LeBron a solid and giving a blind quote designed to give the lakers pause in Potentially cutting bronny
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u/Le4-6Mafia 8h ago
Doesn't fit the narrative but he's a real NBA player with potential who is outperforming his draft position
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u/rogozh1n 7h ago
A worse player who fills a role is better than a superior player who doesn't fill a niche easily.
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u/tsamo Bucks 8h ago
The team interested?
The 76ers!!