NBA rumors: LeBron and KD could leave, Bronny surprise, draft prospect injured
- Three stars officially on exit watch this offseason -- including LeBron, KD and more.
- One team scouting Bronny James, and it's not who you might expect.
- NBA Draft prospect Ron Holland is out for year
By Lior Lampert
NBA Rumors: Bronny James watch
Bronny James will be one of the more fascinating NBA Draft storylines in league history if/when he declares.
We have seen legendary players’ kids go on to follow in their footsteps before, but we’ve never seen a father-son play in the same NBA game, which James can do with his father LeBron, who has made his desire to play alongside his namesake before he retires well documented.
With LeBron publicly stating his interest in teaming up with his son and having a $51 million player option for the 2024-25 season, teams could view James as a bargaining chip to get his father to play for them, which could influence his draft stock.
Per The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Toronto Raptors are one of multiple teams who have had their eyes on James and scouted him ahead of this year’s draft.
James is a 6-4 freshman point guard at USC who has made his presence felt on the defensive end of the floor while demonstrating flashes of playmaking and athleticism similar to his father at times but has averaged just 5.7 points while making 36.5 percent of his field goal attempts in 20.4 minutes per game.
While his statistical output and consistency leave much to be desired, it is noteworthy that James suffered a cardiac arrest in July – deriving from a hereditary heart deficiency.
James is listed as the No. 55 prospect on Jonathan Wasserman’s draft big board, but the potential to get him along with his legendary father who is still playing at an All-NBA level in his age-39 season could lead to him being selected much earlier, with the Raptors being a team to monitor.