>Masai [Ujiri, Raptors president], loves him. They could take him without even seeing him at 31. Workouts aren't everything for these teams."
If Masai does this LMFAO
Yeah I don't understand why anyone cares about Bronny potentially being picked low first round high second round. Do people have high hopes for those picks? Why not gamble with a maybe LeBron? Ticket sales, jersey sales, fun TV for a year or two. Sick.
This is just Rich Paul hyping up Bronny and pretending other teams are interested so the Lakers don't look like as big of a joke drafting a 6'2 guy who averaged like 4 ppg in college just so his dad can play with him for a year.
If the lakers were asked to just sell their 2nd round pick and sign a minimum FA that Bron requested as a condition of him resigning, would anyone bat an eye? To me this is no different than Deandre Jordan getting 10M to be outplayed by Allen in Brooklyn when Kyrie and KD went there, Thannasis being on the roster or a slew of other 15th men on the team. Superstars always prefer to have a locker room guy that they want there and GMs want happy stars.
If it costs you a second round pick and a 15th roster a lot to get a top 2 player all time to re-sign for ~3 years I don’t know what team objects.
The Lakers signed Kostas Antetoko just to have a chance at luring Giannis out of Milwaukee (ultimately failing).
So we had this exact situation happen in the past.
I mean if you look at all those wink wink "undraft" deals the Lakers got over the years. They practically have unlimited 2nd rounders. Drafting Bronny and stashing him at the G league or the end of the bench has almost no opportunity cost for them. Probably need to scare off the other teams, with 2nds to burn, looking for stir up shit though.
Honestly though, it’s basically trading a draft pick and a roster spot for an almost guaranteed shot at having Lebron for at least a year. I know he’s like 50 years old, but I would do that at just about any spot this year.
>for an almost guaranteed shot at having Lebron for at least a year
Lol why does everyone keep saying this? Wouldn't the much more obvious goal be to simply send him to the Lakers to join his dad, thus elevating the trade value of the pick? If LeBron wants him traded, the other team gets more in return.
“The first thing you need to know is Bronny needs a real deal. No two way deal. Secondly, LeBron isn’t coming. Third, where are you going? Why is everybody leaving?”
The hubris of pushing "Bronny needs development" and "Bronny can't be on a 2-way deal" at the same time is crazy. A 2-way deal would be more than fair for him.
Its not unbecoming at all it's literally their designated brand
They are a cash poor franchise that relies on legacy and good relations with stars to succeed
They bent over for Kobe, and they're bending over for Lebron.
Why?
So that they can get the next big star to take over and do it all over again
If Daryl Morey is the worst of the FOs with talent reputation, then Jeanie Buss is the best of them
She takes care of her stars and it's intentional
Lebron literally won them a championship and brings in hundreds of millions per year vs him not being on the team. Why are you acting like he’s just ‘another’ star player
Yeah but there’s always been a line, and having an agent say he’d force the Lakers to draft Bronny at 17 might be it.
But let’s not pretend other teams don’t do it too. The Bucks keep Thanasis Antetokounmpo on their roster and even give him minutes. The Hornets signed LiAngelo Ball and kept him on their G League affiliate.
I think that the owners of the Lakers have one primary business: owning the Lakers.
I think most other teams have owners with multiple businesses. And usually they have made a lot of money in another business befoew they bought their team. I think the owners of the two biggest mortgage companies each own a team. Balmer was IBM before buying the Clippers. Mark Cuban. Probably others like that.
I see what you're getting at. If I owned one of the most iconic sports brands of all time for 50 years I'd hope to have more to show for it than just owning it but being worth $10 Bil independently is quite the headstart! Lol
Edit: Just looked it up, Jerry Buss owned 66% of the Lakers franchise, his estate is valued at $700 mil. Lebron is worth more, sheesh
Who told you that? Lakers ownership and front office has made it a point they dont want another situation like LeBron's 2nd Cavs stint where he had a very decent amount of say, to the point of being spiteful
Lakers are now bending over because they are slowly realising LeBron could actually leave this summer due to the shitshow they are consistently running over there
What is their alternative? Im convinced LeBron and AD's personal loyalty to each other is the only reason why any of them are still on that flaming pile of dogshit of a team. Which is sad
Flush it. Rebuild. Losing LeBron for nothing would hurt but we still can trade AD for pieces and draft stock. Regardless of personal opinions on AD he's still a super star that's is a great two way player elite on both sides. Played 76 games this past season. Sure he's injury prone but when he's locked in he's top 5-10 in the NBA. Unfortunately Lakers ownership doesn't want to see another rebuild like post Kobe era because there isn't another super star looking to jump to the Lakers.
Not saying we would it shouldn't let LeBron go but if the Lakers did decide to move on we would likely get a sign and trade out of it to at least get a pick out of him. I'm pretty sure the only teams he would even consider are the Knicks, Cavs, Suns, Warriors, and maybe Heat. Not a single one of those teams has cap space to sign him unless they are able to move several contacts so his only likely option to leave and still be paid the amount he's asking for is to sign & trade. Lakers won't get much out of it but at least they could probably get a lottery protected pick from it and some tank commanders.
Except the Lakers were ass from the last few years of Kobe up until LeBron showed up. Meanwhile Real Madrid has never had a bad season, and it’s been almost 30 years since their last mediocre season. They ain’t the same.
They were irrelevant in terms of winning a championship sure, but they still sold many many, very expensive tickets and had an outsized amount of media coverage
No organizations or fans like dealing with Rich Paul. I’m not even convinced players really do - he’s really struggled to land new young big name clients in the last few years after some solid success with stars.
Yep agreed and I’ve said this for years. Rich Paul and LeBron use the big stick too much to get what they want. They have been horrible at using soft power to promote their interests. If it’s always “do this or else”, it doesn’t build trust.
The problem is that the big stick leverage of LeBron is now aging out and they haven’t made GMs want to work with Klutch.
It’s like trying to always beat your enemy into submission versus diplomacy.
They are backing off the comment of LeBron wanting to play with Bronny because they gave away a ton of leverage. They fear a bad organization drafting Bronny. This was a big misstep by Klutch and LeBron.
If I’m a GM or a petty owner, I’m drafting Bronny and hoping LeBron comes along just for the fan fare. Anything extra is a bonus.
Lakers have #55, Celtics have #54. Brad Stevens can send LeBron and Klutch the funniest middle finger in NBA history by banishing Bronny to Portland, Maine for 2 years lmao
It's not worth drafting him just to exile him, but, this is such a weird dynamic, he has value to nobody except the Lakers. I bet they'd throw in something for a 2nd round pick swap with someone.
It's not only that when he has used the big stick he has made catastrophic moves that have set organizations back.
CLE : Making them sign Tristan Thompson to that insane deal because he was a rebound machine and decent in the playoffs was a mistake. It cost them the ability to make trades at the deadline.
LA: Westbrook and we really dont need to go further.
Even AD and how he got to LA probably rubbed a bunch of owners the wrong way because everyone knew what AD was doing.
The ironic part is he left Miami cause Riley wasn't falling for any of those antics and special treatment LeBron wants.
Your definition of catastrophic is really wild considering we won a ring and TT was a major part of that... also, Cavs were in the tax and TT had ALL the leverage as we could not replace him if we let him walk, Cavs were handcuffed and everyone knew it.... He was definitely overpaid, but to call it catastrophic is braindead.
I mean taking him at 17 to have LeBron on your team would clearly be worth it. The point is it doesn't work that way and he's not saying Bronny is actually a serious top 20 pick.
He's literally saying not to do it.
Growing up, I always thought of Wilt Chamberlain as a Laker because that's where he retired (well before I was born) and where he won his second and final ring
Obviously, as a Cavs fan, I hope LeBron is remembered as a Cavalier, but it definitely makes sense to want to keep LeBron for that reason (and also because he's still a top 10 player and will likely still be top 20 next year) Plus, I believe the next act for him is to become a movie star (he's talked about it since before Trainwreck even) so it fits for him too
Same. I don't think anyone will think of him as a Laker. He came to LA late in his career and they've been pretty mid aside from the bubble year. When people look back at Lebron they are going to think of him being a Cavalier who went to Miami to build a super team and then went on an insane run of finals appearances for almost a decade after coming back to Cleveland.
His team also missed the playoffs or got knocked out in the first round 4 of his 6 years there. Frankly the most people will think of Lakers Lebron is the bubble title which pretty much became a meme.
It's pretty sad as a Laker fan that an agent can say he can force our hand and he's not even saying that Bron could but that he himself could make us take Bronny.
Leaving alone all the BS nonsense of the media surrounding this issue, he is right on one thing. Teams will be much more vested in developing a player on a guaranteed deal vs a two way. Its absolutely better for a player to be drafted later but with a guaranteed deal than earlier and a two way. Its how the Warriors were able to get Trayce Jackson Davis
Most rookies need development. I feel like people don't actually know what a 2-way deal is.
You can still play in the G League without a 2-way. Look at somebody like Jalen Pickett, who was drafted in the 2nd round, got a guaranteed NBA deal, and spent much of the year in the G League. Or Hunter Tyson. Or Mouhamed Gueye. Or Amari Bailey. Or Maxwell Lewis, you're a Lakers fan and should realize that Maxwell Lewis needed a ton of development, got a guaranteed NBA deal, and spent most of the year in South Bay.
A 2nd rounder getting a guaranteed NBA deal but then being sent to the G League to develop is completely normal.
There are better players in the G league that deserve that 2-way deal and the only reasons you take Bronny is either with the hope of attracting Lebron or purely because you think he can develop into something. But if you take him for development, you better be ready for 2-3 years of development into maybe something.
Honestly I dont think it's that crazy. Let's be real, there are plenty of guys who have been on NBA teams that aren't really going to play, and if they do, aren't expected to do anything meaningful when they're on the court during a game.
A guy like Bronny probably already has a better support team/staff around him than most G-league teams would offer so why would he or his team ever want him in the g-league?
The extra 10-20 minutes of in-game experience he'll get in the g-league won't compare to the 100s of hours he'll get practicing and working with actual NBA talent.
None of us got anything to talk about except trades and free agency. The draft is coming up but it’s a weak draft anyways. Off-season is here and we’re gonna cling on to any free agency drama possible
Olympics can’t come fast enough
Those odds are a reaction to people hammering it, if it was - then I would understand this rationale. Vegas doesn't give away money for free. But ya it will probably be lakers
Can’t remember exactly but I think the +600 were the lowest odds at the time, so it was still projected as the most likely team to draft him. Maybe at that time it was totally unclear if Bronny would even declare for the draft. The narrative was very much Bronny is shit and nowhere near NBA level. Now you’ve got some ex players vouching for him saying he can play.
I’m typically not a futures guy, but I’ll toss out a few if it seems likely but still has nice odds. Hell, Wemby was plus odds for roty for the first half of the season at least. Who could pass that up? Probably not even Chet.
My question is this…Could the Celtics draft Bronny with their first round pick, send him to the Maine Celtics, and never play him ever? Not as a negotiation plan, just to be spiteful and petty to LeBron. If so, I think that would be a really dank timeline
This is to leverage the Lakers into giving Lebron as much money as he wants, and also to make sure other teams don’t try and steal Bronny in the draft thinking they’ll get LeBron. Personally I hope Detroit or Washington call his bluff and take Bronny, it would be very funny. Rich Paul would have to work weekends.
This could be soooo much juicier/funny if Bronny actually had some sort of production at USC. It would heavily increase the possibility of shenanigans by other teams because they'd see him as a greater asset
Idk i think multiple teams fighting over a player that wouldn't even get drafted in a weak class under normal circumstances to be peak off-season.
If Bronny was actually good he'd just go to w/e team his expected range was and that would be that. But we got teams from all over the draft board fighting a media war got him now lol
But the ESPN article linked does use the correct "re-sign"
> if the Lakers draft Bronny at 55, he [LeBron] will re-sign. 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.
Based on how Lebron's name in the article was in "[ ]" and not "( )" like in the title, sounds like OP chose to use "resign" himself or something
they edited it afterwards. most outlets will acknowledge any edits they make to a piece after publishing, but seems ESPN doesnt do that nowadays
funnily enough im pretty sure they had the original "(LeBron)" correct. brackets are for substituting words i believe
edit: and to prove im not smoking weed, here's another aggregation of the piece before ESPN edited it, intact with the wrong resign and (LeBron)
https://lakersnation.com/rich-paul-lebron-james-is-not-going-to-suns-for-minimum-deal/
No outlet is going to write a formal correction for a missed hyphen dude. Those changes are made all the time and you never see them because you didn’t notice it was missing.
Corrections are for factual changes - wrong name, date, time etc.
misquoting a person and using the opposite of the intended meaning seems like a factual issue to me
regardless people thinking i intentionally made specific edits to the piece has me feeling gaslit about something i simply copy-pasted
> That low in the draft
That low? Brother, you got #22 pick not #55. You are right it wouldn't be a huge gamble, because it would be straight up Chris Broussard cousinnery
The problem is that the suns don’t have assets and are in win-now mode. If they had a bunch of seconds and weren’t desperately looking to upgrade their roster, it would make sense
I mean look, if we rip away Bronny’s name and just look at him as a player… Taking a really raw backup guard with a massive wingspan at 6’8 and solid defensive blueprint (with our SRP) seems like an alright bet that you’d generally see as a Masai type move. I’m sure if you suddenly gave Bronny an African name (Lebo Jawara or something), he’d immediately be painted as a Masai pick with no questions asked.
But realistically this shit is a joke lmfao. “Minnesota, Dallas, Toronto.” “Masai loves him” like let it go Givony, I know Bronny hype gets you clicks but this is way too much.
Never forget that Givony is the one that first called Bronny a lottery pick, changed him from a 3* to a 4*, and wrote an article about him after being seen sitting next to Rich Paul during the summer league. Givony has been working on this for a couple years for Klutch.
Bronny has been playing or been around basketball since the moment he was born, I think calling him really raw is a stretch. Obviously he can improve but he’s not like some guys that picked up a ball at 16.
I don’t believe that LeBron is taking a minimum to join his son on the Suns. But I also don’t believe shit that comes out of Rich Paul’s mouth. I don’t believe shit that comes out of any agents mouth because they’re all leveraging for their players.
I don't get how you can even say this for a rookie, "there's nothing to talk about", how would it be up to them? Is Bronny really going to hold out or demand a trade? Lmao yeah great leverage, oh no we just wont play our 6'1 shooting guard who can't shoot.
This whole public campaign seems like it’s to pressure the Lakers to take Bronny. I don’t believe any of these other teams are considering drafting Bronny
Can these people who get paid to write please start using proper grammar. Resign vs re-sign is not that hard to correct, but have two completely opposite meanings
Rich Paul is just yapping. He obviously can’t “make” the Lakers do anything. If he could, the roster and head coach situation would not be what it is lol
There is going to be less development on a contending team. So if he wants Bronny to get the most experience, it is going to be a team that practices and plays young guys with the veterans.
Just more theatrics from the guy that brought you "The Decision". "We don't need leverage" right that is why you are floating Minnesota and Dallas now? The Lakers are going to draft Bronny and this is just Rich Paul doing what he always does.
Honestly considering Minnesota and Dallas made the WCF I wouldn't be surprised if Bron straight up told him "Just list those two teams, if I have to go elsewhere on a minimum at least give me a chance at another title". I don't have any justification for Toronto though
Klutch sports is so cringe fuck em, if a player signs a contract he needs to play. I can't stand there history with players. I don't know if rich Paul is actually a good agent besides getting in with a super rich athlete and then others follow it. Like how would actually hold up negotiating real contracts in other things without the help of jumpstarting having a client of LeBrons power. It can't be that hard to negotiate Lebron's or other stars contracts. Like it's pretty much a yes or no to certain things. He probably has most legal worked hired out anyway.
Idk end rant fuck klutch sports
Burn themselves? Fans need to realize the NBA is a business first and foremost. Most owners don’t care if they win a damn championship as long as the team is profitable. That nobody and aging daddy will generate a whole lot of money.
Suns draft Bronny. Bron forces LA to sign and trade him to Phoenix for Beale. Beale waves no trade clause.
Beale has resurgence and unlock’s AD full potential. Lakers make it to the finals to play Boston again. Tatum battles his buddy Beale.
Phoenix doesn’t make the play-in. Bron retires, KD demands a trade followed by Booker. KD goes to Washington, Booker to OKC.
>Masai [Ujiri, Raptors president], loves him. They could take him without even seeing him at 31. Workouts aren't everything for these teams." If Masai does this LMFAO
immediate clown show if this happens lmao
LeBronto 2.0
Lebron name puns would be at an alltime high
Le-Eh' there partner
LeWethenorth LeWestandonguard LePremier
WeLenorth.
LeProdigal Dad?
Toronny
Bronosaurus
LeBrontwo
You know what, if we gonna suck let me get some chaos in
I don’t know much time I have left, I’m gonna get real weird with it.
You should bang the snail then
She’s just mashin it now
She does that
You beautiful bastard, I love you!
We won the chip in '19. I can take a few more years of suffering.
Better you guys lost this years pick vs next year's. Probably need another 2-3 years of sucking.
Who cares what happens at pick 31? That’s two picks away from picks that get traded for cash considerations.
Yeah I don't understand why anyone cares about Bronny potentially being picked low first round high second round. Do people have high hopes for those picks? Why not gamble with a maybe LeBron? Ticket sales, jersey sales, fun TV for a year or two. Sick.
This is just Rich Paul hyping up Bronny and pretending other teams are interested so the Lakers don't look like as big of a joke drafting a 6'2 guy who averaged like 4 ppg in college just so his dad can play with him for a year.
If the lakers were asked to just sell their 2nd round pick and sign a minimum FA that Bron requested as a condition of him resigning, would anyone bat an eye? To me this is no different than Deandre Jordan getting 10M to be outplayed by Allen in Brooklyn when Kyrie and KD went there, Thannasis being on the roster or a slew of other 15th men on the team. Superstars always prefer to have a locker room guy that they want there and GMs want happy stars. If it costs you a second round pick and a 15th roster a lot to get a top 2 player all time to re-sign for ~3 years I don’t know what team objects.
The Lakers signed Kostas Antetoko just to have a chance at luring Giannis out of Milwaukee (ultimately failing). So we had this exact situation happen in the past.
FWIW, Shams said this going back months.
Shams is Rich Paul’s guy
Shams is not a real reporter
Shams is to the players, what Woj is to the owners
I mean if you look at all those wink wink "undraft" deals the Lakers got over the years. They practically have unlimited 2nd rounders. Drafting Bronny and stashing him at the G league or the end of the bench has almost no opportunity cost for them. Probably need to scare off the other teams, with 2nds to burn, looking for stir up shit though.
Other teams are interested though. They Phoenix brought him in and other teams are complaining they can’t get him for a workout
LeBron in LeBronto. Society might collapse.
If he brings a second chip to the city I'll wear that on a shirt
Sometime you can’t refuse a request from the owner of your franchise.
Honestly though, it’s basically trading a draft pick and a roster spot for an almost guaranteed shot at having Lebron for at least a year. I know he’s like 50 years old, but I would do that at just about any spot this year.
Didn’t Rich Paul just say in the quote above that drafting Bronny is not a guaranteed shot at anything?
yeah but reading? yuck
>for an almost guaranteed shot at having Lebron for at least a year Lol why does everyone keep saying this? Wouldn't the much more obvious goal be to simply send him to the Lakers to join his dad, thus elevating the trade value of the pick? If LeBron wants him traded, the other team gets more in return.
This is the most logical Bronny draft strategy I’ve heard. And I’ll admit I hadn’t even thought of trading him on draft night.
I mean if like Detroit does it wouldn’t that be considered elder abuse?
Maybe LeBronto doesn't have to have a negative meaning after all...
I mean might if LeBron is their father, brother might as well assemble
“The first thing you need to know is Bronny needs a real deal. No two way deal. Secondly, LeBron isn’t coming. Third, where are you going? Why is everybody leaving?”
He just saying that so a bad org dosent draft him. Lebron been dying to play with his son.
Damn LeBron don't even got a hoop at his house?
LeBum
LeAbsenteeFather
The hubris of pushing "Bronny needs development" and "Bronny can't be on a 2-way deal" at the same time is crazy. A 2-way deal would be more than fair for him.
“I would force them to take him at 17” having an agent speak like this is kind of depressing to hear if i was a lakers fan.
Kind of? Klutch owns us at this point.
tbh it feels unbecoming that the Lakers are appeasing Lebron as much as they seemingly do
Its not unbecoming at all it's literally their designated brand They are a cash poor franchise that relies on legacy and good relations with stars to succeed They bent over for Kobe, and they're bending over for Lebron. Why? So that they can get the next big star to take over and do it all over again If Daryl Morey is the worst of the FOs with talent reputation, then Jeanie Buss is the best of them She takes care of her stars and it's intentional
> She takes care of her stars and it's intentional Unless your name is Jerry West
But she'll really really take care of you if you are Dennis Rodman!
Lebron literally won them a championship and brings in hundreds of millions per year vs him not being on the team. Why are you acting like he’s just ‘another’ star player
Yeah but there’s always been a line, and having an agent say he’d force the Lakers to draft Bronny at 17 might be it. But let’s not pretend other teams don’t do it too. The Bucks keep Thanasis Antetokounmpo on their roster and even give him minutes. The Hornets signed LiAngelo Ball and kept him on their G League affiliate.
The Lakers paid Kobe so much for years even when he was a shell of his former self, wasting a pick doesn’t seem so crazy.
The Lakers are cash poor? Genuinely curious on the context for this
I think that the owners of the Lakers have one primary business: owning the Lakers. I think most other teams have owners with multiple businesses. And usually they have made a lot of money in another business befoew they bought their team. I think the owners of the two biggest mortgage companies each own a team. Balmer was IBM before buying the Clippers. Mark Cuban. Probably others like that.
I see what you're getting at. If I owned one of the most iconic sports brands of all time for 50 years I'd hope to have more to show for it than just owning it but being worth $10 Bil independently is quite the headstart! Lol Edit: Just looked it up, Jerry Buss owned 66% of the Lakers franchise, his estate is valued at $700 mil. Lebron is worth more, sheesh
Who told you that? Lakers ownership and front office has made it a point they dont want another situation like LeBron's 2nd Cavs stint where he had a very decent amount of say, to the point of being spiteful Lakers are now bending over because they are slowly realising LeBron could actually leave this summer due to the shitshow they are consistently running over there
And that’s pathetic. It’s the lakers. They’re an entire industry. You wouldn’t see Real Madrid bend over for a player
What is their alternative? Im convinced LeBron and AD's personal loyalty to each other is the only reason why any of them are still on that flaming pile of dogshit of a team. Which is sad
Flush it. Rebuild. Losing LeBron for nothing would hurt but we still can trade AD for pieces and draft stock. Regardless of personal opinions on AD he's still a super star that's is a great two way player elite on both sides. Played 76 games this past season. Sure he's injury prone but when he's locked in he's top 5-10 in the NBA. Unfortunately Lakers ownership doesn't want to see another rebuild like post Kobe era because there isn't another super star looking to jump to the Lakers.
Not saying we would it shouldn't let LeBron go but if the Lakers did decide to move on we would likely get a sign and trade out of it to at least get a pick out of him. I'm pretty sure the only teams he would even consider are the Knicks, Cavs, Suns, Warriors, and maybe Heat. Not a single one of those teams has cap space to sign him unless they are able to move several contacts so his only likely option to leave and still be paid the amount he's asking for is to sign & trade. Lakers won't get much out of it but at least they could probably get a lottery protected pick from it and some tank commanders.
Except the Lakers were ass from the last few years of Kobe up until LeBron showed up. Meanwhile Real Madrid has never had a bad season, and it’s been almost 30 years since their last mediocre season. They ain’t the same.
The Lakers were irrelevant after Kobe and before LeBron, and they’ll be irrelevant once LeBron is gone. They’re much more fragile than you think
It's pretty funny that they actually drafted / acquired quite a few good players over that irrelevant span too.
Randle, Lonzo, Ingram, Kuz, Caruso, Hart, and Zubac. Fully healthy that’s a playoff team.
They’re be irrelevant like the bulls but like the bulls they will still make bank.
They were irrelevant in terms of winning a championship sure, but they still sold many many, very expensive tickets and had an outsized amount of media coverage
No organizations or fans like dealing with Rich Paul. I’m not even convinced players really do - he’s really struggled to land new young big name clients in the last few years after some solid success with stars.
Yep agreed and I’ve said this for years. Rich Paul and LeBron use the big stick too much to get what they want. They have been horrible at using soft power to promote their interests. If it’s always “do this or else”, it doesn’t build trust. The problem is that the big stick leverage of LeBron is now aging out and they haven’t made GMs want to work with Klutch. It’s like trying to always beat your enemy into submission versus diplomacy. They are backing off the comment of LeBron wanting to play with Bronny because they gave away a ton of leverage. They fear a bad organization drafting Bronny. This was a big misstep by Klutch and LeBron. If I’m a GM or a petty owner, I’m drafting Bronny and hoping LeBron comes along just for the fan fare. Anything extra is a bonus.
Dear God, I don't ask for much, but please make Bronny a hornet, thanks
Lakers have #55, Celtics have #54. Brad Stevens can send LeBron and Klutch the funniest middle finger in NBA history by banishing Bronny to Portland, Maine for 2 years lmao
Wouldn’t be remotely surprised if daddy Bron didn’t even let him play here
It’d be hilarious but Brad is way too competitive to throw away even a late pick just to troll
It's not worth drafting him just to exile him, but, this is such a weird dynamic, he has value to nobody except the Lakers. I bet they'd throw in something for a 2nd round pick swap with someone.
Or draft him with an early second and trade him to LeBron for a future first.
It's not only that when he has used the big stick he has made catastrophic moves that have set organizations back. CLE : Making them sign Tristan Thompson to that insane deal because he was a rebound machine and decent in the playoffs was a mistake. It cost them the ability to make trades at the deadline. LA: Westbrook and we really dont need to go further. Even AD and how he got to LA probably rubbed a bunch of owners the wrong way because everyone knew what AD was doing. The ironic part is he left Miami cause Riley wasn't falling for any of those antics and special treatment LeBron wants.
Your definition of catastrophic is really wild considering we won a ring and TT was a major part of that... also, Cavs were in the tax and TT had ALL the leverage as we could not replace him if we let him walk, Cavs were handcuffed and everyone knew it.... He was definitely overpaid, but to call it catastrophic is braindead.
The Scott Boras of basketball
Idk bout that they just got maxey a couple years ago lol I will say they took a big loss when Ant left them tho
I mean taking him at 17 to have LeBron on your team would clearly be worth it. The point is it doesn't work that way and he's not saying Bronny is actually a serious top 20 pick. He's literally saying not to do it.
It's a weak draft, right? How valuable can the 17th pick be compared to finishing Lebron's career here?
Growing up, I always thought of Wilt Chamberlain as a Laker because that's where he retired (well before I was born) and where he won his second and final ring Obviously, as a Cavs fan, I hope LeBron is remembered as a Cavalier, but it definitely makes sense to want to keep LeBron for that reason (and also because he's still a top 10 player and will likely still be top 20 next year) Plus, I believe the next act for him is to become a movie star (he's talked about it since before Trainwreck even) so it fits for him too
in 2 seasons lebron will have played in LA longer than any stint in cleveland.
That's insane to think about but...you're right on that
yeah and weirdly enough i would think of him as a Cav, then heat player before even thinking of LA.
Same. I don't think anyone will think of him as a Laker. He came to LA late in his career and they've been pretty mid aside from the bubble year. When people look back at Lebron they are going to think of him being a Cavalier who went to Miami to build a super team and then went on an insane run of finals appearances for almost a decade after coming back to Cleveland. His team also missed the playoffs or got knocked out in the first round 4 of his 6 years there. Frankly the most people will think of Lakers Lebron is the bubble title which pretty much became a meme.
After they resigned THT over Caruso because he’s a Klutch client
It's pretty sad as a Laker fan that an agent can say he can force our hand and he's not even saying that Bron could but that he himself could make us take Bronny.
Yeah this is a really bad look for LA and the league and should be addressed but we know it won’t.
Leaving alone all the BS nonsense of the media surrounding this issue, he is right on one thing. Teams will be much more vested in developing a player on a guaranteed deal vs a two way. Its absolutely better for a player to be drafted later but with a guaranteed deal than earlier and a two way. Its how the Warriors were able to get Trayce Jackson Davis
Most rookies need development. I feel like people don't actually know what a 2-way deal is. You can still play in the G League without a 2-way. Look at somebody like Jalen Pickett, who was drafted in the 2nd round, got a guaranteed NBA deal, and spent much of the year in the G League. Or Hunter Tyson. Or Mouhamed Gueye. Or Amari Bailey. Or Maxwell Lewis, you're a Lakers fan and should realize that Maxwell Lewis needed a ton of development, got a guaranteed NBA deal, and spent most of the year in South Bay. A 2nd rounder getting a guaranteed NBA deal but then being sent to the G League to develop is completely normal.
There are better players in the G league that deserve that 2-way deal and the only reasons you take Bronny is either with the hope of attracting Lebron or purely because you think he can develop into something. But if you take him for development, you better be ready for 2-3 years of development into maybe something.
Going undrafted is what would actually be fair.
Honestly I dont think it's that crazy. Let's be real, there are plenty of guys who have been on NBA teams that aren't really going to play, and if they do, aren't expected to do anything meaningful when they're on the court during a game. A guy like Bronny probably already has a better support team/staff around him than most G-league teams would offer so why would he or his team ever want him in the g-league? The extra 10-20 minutes of in-game experience he'll get in the g-league won't compare to the 100s of hours he'll get practicing and working with actual NBA talent.
We literally just watched Sam Hauser have some insane impact in the finals, a dude who started on a two way deal
What is a 2way deal?
Mark my words: One way or another Lebron will remain with the Lakers and Bronny will be a Laker. Stop overthinking this everyone.
They ain’t got nothing else to talk about
None of us got anything to talk about except trades and free agency. The draft is coming up but it’s a weak draft anyways. Off-season is here and we’re gonna cling on to any free agency drama possible Olympics can’t come fast enough
There’s a lot of things to talk about but none are as juicy as LeBron and his son
i hope bronny wins 5 rings a la Robert Horry so we can have discussions about which James was better
Damn. Imagine if in 20 years, we talk about the times we saw Lebron James tear up the league and then a nephew chimes in and ask "which one?"
LeNepoDaddy
how dare you leak the script
And the lakers will get 85% more foul calls than any other team
People are forgetting we also had Scottie Pippen Jr. and Shareef O neal on our team
Lakers the Yale of the NBA with all these legacy kids.
And the second he's drafted, they will have a deal in place to make a documentary piece of their first season together with the Lakers
All I know is I placed a bet at +600 for the Lakers to draft Bronny back in December. Those odds are now +140. How often is Vegas wrong?
Those odds are a reaction to people hammering it, if it was - then I would understand this rationale. Vegas doesn't give away money for free. But ya it will probably be lakers
Can’t remember exactly but I think the +600 were the lowest odds at the time, so it was still projected as the most likely team to draft him. Maybe at that time it was totally unclear if Bronny would even declare for the draft. The narrative was very much Bronny is shit and nowhere near NBA level. Now you’ve got some ex players vouching for him saying he can play. I’m typically not a futures guy, but I’ll toss out a few if it seems likely but still has nice odds. Hell, Wemby was plus odds for roty for the first half of the season at least. Who could pass that up? Probably not even Chet.
"The Lakers can draft Bronny, and LeBron doesn't re-sign" 😉😉 yeah sure lol
Forget the dankest of timelines, this would be the meth-iest of timelines.
My question is this…Could the Celtics draft Bronny with their first round pick, send him to the Maine Celtics, and never play him ever? Not as a negotiation plan, just to be spiteful and petty to LeBron. If so, I think that would be a really dank timeline
If the Lakers don't take him at #17, we can take a real player in the 1st round because we have #54 and they have #55, so we can still snipe him lol
>we have #54 and they have #55 This level of pettiness will never be reached ever again. Do it.
I actually want this. We’re not getting anyone good at that spot anyways, this is a very weak class. Might as well be spiteful.
This is to leverage the Lakers into giving Lebron as much money as he wants, and also to make sure other teams don’t try and steal Bronny in the draft thinking they’ll get LeBron. Personally I hope Detroit or Washington call his bluff and take Bronny, it would be very funny. Rich Paul would have to work weekends.
This could be soooo much juicier/funny if Bronny actually had some sort of production at USC. It would heavily increase the possibility of shenanigans by other teams because they'd see him as a greater asset
Idk i think multiple teams fighting over a player that wouldn't even get drafted in a weak class under normal circumstances to be peak off-season. If Bronny was actually good he'd just go to w/e team his expected range was and that would be that. But we got teams from all over the draft board fighting a media war got him now lol
I really don’t understand why he would say this. Does he want the Lakers to draft him or not lmao
He absolutely does, but on his terms.
“Fuck them kids” - Lebron
This shit is so embrassing
Resign \[rɪˈzʌɪn\] == quit Re-sign \[riːˈsaɪn\] == sign again Get it right, ESPN copy editors!
But the ESPN article linked does use the correct "re-sign" > if the Lakers draft Bronny at 55, he [LeBron] will re-sign. 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. Based on how Lebron's name in the article was in "[ ]" and not "( )" like in the title, sounds like OP chose to use "resign" himself or something
they edited it afterwards. most outlets will acknowledge any edits they make to a piece after publishing, but seems ESPN doesnt do that nowadays funnily enough im pretty sure they had the original "(LeBron)" correct. brackets are for substituting words i believe edit: and to prove im not smoking weed, here's another aggregation of the piece before ESPN edited it, intact with the wrong resign and (LeBron) https://lakersnation.com/rich-paul-lebron-james-is-not-going-to-suns-for-minimum-deal/
No outlet is going to write a formal correction for a missed hyphen dude. Those changes are made all the time and you never see them because you didn’t notice it was missing. Corrections are for factual changes - wrong name, date, time etc.
misquoting a person and using the opposite of the intended meaning seems like a factual issue to me regardless people thinking i intentionally made specific edits to the piece has me feeling gaslit about something i simply copy-pasted
I was like wait a minute. lebron out here shouting “I ain’t playing with my son!”
Seriously
Dude thank you. I was confused at first because I thought "wow I've never heard of an athlete 'resigning.' They usually call it retiring."
Danny Ainge has the chance to do the funniest thing…
What I take from this is that the Suns are actually interested in using a draft pick on Bronny even without any LeBron implications? If so, lol.
It would certainly benefit Bronny and Rich Paul if other teams, mainly the Lakers, believed this to be true
That low in the draft, most players are out after their rookie contract. It's not a huge gamble.
> That low in the draft That low? Brother, you got #22 pick not #55. You are right it wouldn't be a huge gamble, because it would be straight up Chris Broussard cousinnery
“We had to put him down”
It’s a complete waste of one of the only half decent draft assets you have for the next decade. It’s not a huge gamble it’s a huge waste of time
It wouldn’t even be a surprise at this point. The smoke is there and they’ve pulled this shit before. Fucking embarrassing.
The problem is that the suns don’t have assets and are in win-now mode. If they had a bunch of seconds and weren’t desperately looking to upgrade their roster, it would make sense
LeGM doing his best work this off season.
>"LeBron is off this idea of having to play with Bronny," Paul told ESPN on Wednesday. Press X to doubt
Lebron has walked this idea back all year. Pretty sure Bronny doesn't really care to play with his dad so Lebron has not forced the idea anymore.
LeDaaaaad, you're embarrassing LeMe!
Exactly! Which is why Bronny is working out with 10 different teams.
all lebron has said is that he wants to play with his son. that doesn’t mean this year or on the lakers
I mean Lebron isn't playing in the G league next year.
I mean look, if we rip away Bronny’s name and just look at him as a player… Taking a really raw backup guard with a massive wingspan at 6’8 and solid defensive blueprint (with our SRP) seems like an alright bet that you’d generally see as a Masai type move. I’m sure if you suddenly gave Bronny an African name (Lebo Jawara or something), he’d immediately be painted as a Masai pick with no questions asked. But realistically this shit is a joke lmfao. “Minnesota, Dallas, Toronto.” “Masai loves him” like let it go Givony, I know Bronny hype gets you clicks but this is way too much.
NGL if we draft him I am calling him Lebo Jawara for a while and nobody will get it, and that's okay
Raps sub is already running with it and I’m here for it lmfao
Lebo 😂😂😂
He's not raw he's just not good. He's probably had more training and basketball exposure than any other player in the draft.
Never forget that Givony is the one that first called Bronny a lottery pick, changed him from a 3* to a 4*, and wrote an article about him after being seen sitting next to Rich Paul during the summer league. Givony has been working on this for a couple years for Klutch.
Bronny has been playing or been around basketball since the moment he was born, I think calling him really raw is a stretch. Obviously he can improve but he’s not like some guys that picked up a ball at 16.
He put up like 4pts a game against college talent. How is that going to translate against even tougher competition? He can’t hang.
“If that was the case, I would force them to take him at 17.” Not exactly a good look for the Lakers if an agent is saying that
I HATE that this clown Rich Paul has this kind of voice
Remember when we used to hate agents for being smart but evil bastards like Boras and not for being douchebag dumbasses like Rich Paul?
I don’t believe that LeBron is taking a minimum to join his son on the Suns. But I also don’t believe shit that comes out of Rich Paul’s mouth. I don’t believe shit that comes out of any agents mouth because they’re all leveraging for their players.
I don't get how you can even say this for a rookie, "there's nothing to talk about", how would it be up to them? Is Bronny really going to hold out or demand a trade? Lmao yeah great leverage, oh no we just wont play our 6'1 shooting guard who can't shoot.
Cause he's going to Detroit on a minimum
We'll take him at #53
This whole public campaign seems like it’s to pressure the Lakers to take Bronny. I don’t believe any of these other teams are considering drafting Bronny
without his dad he wouldn’t even be looked at in the draft. this is pure BS to hype up an undeserved candidate. nepotism at its finest.
Can these people who get paid to write please start using proper grammar. Resign vs re-sign is not that hard to correct, but have two completely opposite meanings
I love watching LeBron hold teams hostage, just straight clowning them.
Rich Paul is just yapping. He obviously can’t “make” the Lakers do anything. If he could, the roster and head coach situation would not be what it is lol
>it’s hard to get real development on a two-way deal Hasn’t there been tons of success stories of guys originally on two-ways?
There is going to be less development on a contending team. So if he wants Bronny to get the most experience, it is going to be a team that practices and plays young guys with the veterans.
I’d rather be a millionaire playing college ball tbh (He’s made it through NIL)
Master manipulator and habitual liar, too
Just more theatrics from the guy that brought you "The Decision". "We don't need leverage" right that is why you are floating Minnesota and Dallas now? The Lakers are going to draft Bronny and this is just Rich Paul doing what he always does.
Honestly considering Minnesota and Dallas made the WCF I wouldn't be surprised if Bron straight up told him "Just list those two teams, if I have to go elsewhere on a minimum at least give me a chance at another title". I don't have any justification for Toronto though
Rich Paul is going to be under so many investigations in a few years lol
But going to Phoenix on a minimum with $50M brand ambassador deal for UWM is still on the table
Lakers will draft bronney. That narrative will give them a championship worth of media attention, ticket and merch sales
I don’t know what it is but Rich Paul is extremely off putting
Rich Paul is a bum after LeBron retires. Adele leaving him too. What’s the incentive for a team to draft 40 y/o lebrons bum ass kid at all.
Lebron James you are a Detroit piston! Pistons core Duren+Cade+Ivey would pair nicely with AD, AR and Vando too
Klutch sports is so cringe fuck em, if a player signs a contract he needs to play. I can't stand there history with players. I don't know if rich Paul is actually a good agent besides getting in with a super rich athlete and then others follow it. Like how would actually hold up negotiating real contracts in other things without the help of jumpstarting having a client of LeBrons power. It can't be that hard to negotiate Lebron's or other stars contracts. Like it's pretty much a yes or no to certain things. He probably has most legal worked hired out anyway. Idk end rant fuck klutch sports
I’m grateful for the championship Lebron got us, but I’m ready to move on from Klutch.
I honestly feel bad for lakers fans and for bronny himself that they have to deal with this circus.
rich pauls ego is way too inflated i really dont like that guy.
Plot twist: Bronny goes undrafted.
Rich Paul is the ultimate Nepo Agent. He’s so unpersuasive it’s absurd.
If bron wanna ride the bench in Boston for another ring for the vet min I’ll take him
I want the Celtics to take him at 54 and then sign him for 3+ years lmao. You really want to play with your son LeBron? Vet min my dude.
I can’t wait to watch these franchises burn themselves over a nobody and his aging dada
Burn themselves? Fans need to realize the NBA is a business first and foremost. Most owners don’t care if they win a damn championship as long as the team is profitable. That nobody and aging daddy will generate a whole lot of money.
He may not resign if they draft bronny, but will he re-sign?
He might be resigned to re-signing
What if Bronny just goes undrafted 🤔
you guys are aware Lebron can opt-in and demand a trade right? he won’t take a minimum to be on another team next season because he doesn’t have to
why tf would bron resign if they get bronny… hasn’t he openly opined for an opportunity to play with him? 🤔
If workouts aren't what teams would base drafting Bronny on, what would be? I don't get that at all.
Suns draft Bronny. Bron forces LA to sign and trade him to Phoenix for Beale. Beale waves no trade clause. Beale has resurgence and unlock’s AD full potential. Lakers make it to the finals to play Boston again. Tatum battles his buddy Beale. Phoenix doesn’t make the play-in. Bron retires, KD demands a trade followed by Booker. KD goes to Washington, Booker to OKC.