Bronny James’ agent confirmed that the 2024 NBA Draft prospect has only worked out for two teams.
Rich Paul, Klutch Sports Group’s CEO and a longtime friend of LeBron James, told ESPN’s Jonathan Givony that Bronny has limited his individual workouts to just the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns. Paul didn’t hide his plans to impact the 19-year-old’s landing spot.
“This is nothing new,” Paul said. “The goal is to find a team that values your guy and try to push him to get there. 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 Athletic’s Sam Vecenie noted that directing Bronny to a “specific spot” isn’t a new approach, but Paul is simply now “saying it out loud.”
Paul pointed to taking the same approach to multiple other clients, including Darius Garland. He said his goal is to find the right fit and “identify teams that have real interest.”
“Bronny is the same as my previous clients,” Paul said. “I got the word out early to teams that if you plan on bringing Bronny in, here’s what you need to know: If you won’t give him a real deal, there’s nothing to talk about. It’s hard to get real development on a two-way deal.”
Despite Bronny’s limited workout list, Paul said he’s not maneuvering to pair the prospect with his famous father. Paul claimed LeBron is “off this idea of having to play with Bronny” before retiring.
“There’s no deal made that it’s guaranteed that if the Lakers draft Bronny at 55, [LeBron] will re-sign,” Paul said. “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.”
Related: Bronny James’ Agent Confirms He’s Only Worked Out For 2 NBA Teams