Lakers reportedly ‘not considering’ drafting Bronny James with No. 17 pick

The Lakers have a couple of picks heading into the 2023 NBA Draft, but fans shouldn’t expect the team to select Bronny James in the first round.

Despite the Lakers not playing a basketball game since late April, much has been happening around the team.

Los Angeles is in the middle of a head coaching search and scouting for the NBA Draft.

This year, the Lakers hold the No. 17 and No. 55 picks and one name that has constantly been connected during this drafting process is Bronny James, the son of Lakers star LeBron James.

LeBron is one of the most heavily covered athletes in all of sports and his son has garnered a lot of media attention simply due to his last name.

Over the last year or two, the King has done his best to allow his son to be his own person and not try to negatively impact his career. He's backed off on the talk of dreaming of playing with him, saying it's "no longer a priority," and has said where Bronny plays basketball in 2024-25 will not impact where he will be playing next season.

No one knows for sure what will happen on Draft night, but Adrian Wojnarowsk discussed on his podcast, The Woj Pod, that you shouldn't expect the Lakers to use the No. 17 pick on LeBron's son.

“The Lakers, to my understanding, they are not considering Bronny James at No. 17. It’s just, 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’re just giving away – like, there’s not value to do it there. They’re going to draft somebody else there if they still have that pick.”

Even if the Lakers pass on Bronny at No. 17, the idea of the Lakers drafting him is still possible.

He participated in Klutch Sports Pro Day at the Lakers' practice facility and reportedly did individual workouts for both the Suns and the Lakers.

His agent, Rich Paul, has also stated that Bronny James will not sign a two-way contract, which will likely discourage some teams from selecting him.

It sounds like Bronny and his team are being very selective about the places they want him to go and Los Angeles is likely one of those options.

If the Lakers do want him at No. 55, as Woj says, they'll have to hope no one else, like the Suns, selects him.

However, if the Lakers can draft Bronny and not use the No. 17 pick on him, they can potentially have their cake and eat it, too. Los Angeles can use that top pick to get a ready-now player, or bundle the pick in a trade and still draft Bronny in the second round.

That seems like a best-case scenario for all involved, but there are a lot of moving pieces to this complicated puzzle and we won't know how it'll look at the end until the NBA Draft is completed on Jun. 27.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.