The 2023 NBA Draft has passed, and Summer League is almost over.
Basketball draftniks now have their sights set on the 2024 prospect class.
While there is no surefire star like Victor Wembanyama or Scoot Henderson at the top of next year’s draft, there is one prospect that nearly all sports fans are familiar with: Bronny James.
Bronny, who is, of course, LeBron James’ oldest son, will play college hoops at USC next season and has been dubbed a potential mid-first-round pick in next year’s draft by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo.
His father has long spoken about his desire to play with his son before he retires, which has led pundits to wonder whether a team will take Bronny, and, potentially, bring in LeBron too.
Now, with 11 months to go, you can wager on which team will take Bronny in the 2024 Draft at FanDuel Sportsbook.
And some familiar names for the James family are at the top of the list.
The Lakers (+500) are, perhaps unsurprisingly, at the top of the list.
Both Bronny and LeBron will play basketball in Los Angeles next season, and the latter has proven at several points that he doesn’t want to leave the city.
The Pelicans have the rights to LA’s first-round pick next year, although they could delay the swap to the 2025 season.
With just a second-round pick from the Clippers at the moment, the Lakers may have to move up in the draft if Bronny has a strong freshman season.
If he falls, it’d be hard to see the Lakers passing him up.
Los Angeles is followed on the odds board by a trio of teams who have long had connections to LeBron.
First, the Knicks (+1000), who have been hot after James since his 2010 free agency frenzy.
New York brass is always star-hunting, and Bronny is a star off the court, if not on it.
This could also be a roundabout way of finally landing King James.
With potentially several picks in the 2024 draft, I could see the Knicks using one on Bronny to make things interesting.
Then there’s LeBron’s former homes, Cleveland and Miami.
The Cavaliers (+1100) and Heat (+1500) are the only two other teams with odds better than 17:1.
This would likely require some maneuvering (neither team has a first-round pick next year) and a commitment ahead of time from LeBron — I can’t see either franchise bringing in the fanfare without the King himself as well.
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The most likely outcome is perhaps one of a typical draft pick: Bronny is taken by a team that likes him, near where mock drafts peg him to go.
LeBron has begun to waver on his claims that he’ll play with Bronny, anyway.
“I was serious, and I’m still serious about it,” LeBron said in May. “Just because it’s my aspiration, it doesn’t mean it’s his. It’s not what you want. It’s about listening to your kids and what they want.”
There is sure to be much more to this story over the next year.
But if you want to wager on it now, you have a shot to do so.
