Bronny James has been linked to the Lakers for a while now, and it's becoming slightly more fathomable.
The 19-year-old worked out for the Lakers on Thursday, Dan Woike of the LA Times reported, with James rocking team gear in front of general manager Rob Pelinka and likely other front-office executives. There's not much reported on how the workout went, but it's another step in James' draft story.
James isn't the most appealing prospect this year, but the draft class is underwhelming and the chance to pair him with his father intrigues a lot of teams including the Lakers. The recent workout proves Los Angeles has at least some interest in the USC guard. Whether the franchise selects him later this month is yet to be seen.
Here's a clip of James' workout with the Lakers from Thursday.
MORE: Which team will draft Bronny James?
Bronny James Lakers workout video
Los Angeles fans got their first glimpse of what James would look like in Lakers gear as he worked out for the franchise on Thursday.
The video doesn't show a ton of action, but James can be seen moving defensively, taking the ball up and shooting.
Bronny James at his Los Angeles Lakers workout 👀pic.twitter.com/aluRQDfnZf
— Deadspin (@Deadspin) June 14, 2024
It's unclear whether James made the jumper at the end of the video, but he seemed confident to let it fly off the ball screen.
MORE: Is Bryce James a better prospect than Bronny James?
Will the Lakers draft Bronny James?
The Lakers have two selections in the 2024 NBA Draft in what's mostly an underwhelming class. There's no certainty that they select James with either pick, but they'll have the opportunity to do so.
Los Angeles owns two picks, one in each round:
- No. 17 (first round)
- No. 55 (second round)
The Lakers don't plan on using the No. 17 pick on James, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
"The Lakers, to my understanding, they're not considering Bronny James at No. 17," Wojnarowski said on his podcast. "There's no reason to take him at 17. If you wanted to take him earlier than 55, you could move up some places but you are just giving away value."
Second-round picks are almost never stationary. Teams trade up, trade back and just completely get out of drafts for future assets. There could be opportunities for the Lakers to move up for James if they believe another team may select him earlier.
The latest Sporting News mock draft by Kyle Irving has James landing with the Lakers at No. 55.
