Among the many prospects the Lakers met and interviewed at the 2024 NBA Draft Combine was reportedly Bronny James.
The 2024 NBA Draft Combine serves many purposes for teams and prospects alike. While most of the focus from a fan's perspective is on the measurements, drills, and 5-on-5 games, that is far from the only thing that goes on during the week.
Front offices descend onto the combine with the intention of meeting with prospects. Teams meet with dozens of scouts at the combine as a chance to get some background information they can use for years to come.
All that information is an important precursor to Thursday's report from Dan Woike of the LA Times that the Lakers met with Bronny James at the combine this week.
In terms of the draft, the Lakers seem like they’ll be the draft floor for Bronny James at pick 55, a player the team conducted an interview with in Chicago, according to sources not authorized to publicly discuss draft strategy.
That won’t be the last time the Lakers see Bronny up close, either. According to Jamal Collier of ESPN, he’ll be working out in the Lakers facility on Wednesday.
James will participate in Klutch Sports’ pro day on Wednesday, May 22. Klutch is holding the pro day at the Lakers practice facility in El Segundo, Calif.
Bronny had himself quite the combine, which certainly improved his shaky draft stock. While reports were that he was already committed to staying in the draft even before the combine, that would certainly be the case after his week in Chicago.
While this is great news for Bronny, it pretty much means he isn’t going to be available to the Lakers. He’s still not worth a first round pick, if the Lakers even keep it, but it’s now really unlikely he falls down to pick No. 55.
Still, a lot can change between now and the draft. Meeting with prospects has no downside, and it gives the two sides a chance to meet formally. There’s certainly still a non-zero chance that Bronny is a Laker next season. The team is reportedly open to drafting him if it helps improve their chances of retaining his father LeBron.
However, LeBron has pushed back against the idea that where his son lands in the draft will have any bearing on his potential free agency decision this summer. It’s a constantly evolving situation that will certainly have some more twists and turns.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.
