JJ Redick wanted to make one thing clear during the Lakers’ Bronny James and Dalton Knecht’s introductory press conference on Tuesday: Bronny has earned his place with the Lakers.
Ever since the Lakers decided to select the son of team superstar LeBron James with the 55th overall pick in last week’s draft, basketball fans have been concerned about nepotism surrounding the draft.
However, the Lakers appear to have denied that fact, with manager Redick going out of his way to tell reporters that Bronny hadn’t been given anything.
“Bronny earned this. Bronny said he worked hard. Bronny worked hard to earn this,” Redick said. “For us, as we prioritize player development, we view Bronny as case study number one because of his fundamental feel, athleticism, offensive cornerstone defender, shooting and passing at a high level. There’s a lot to like about his game and we’re building a holistic player development program. He’s going to have a great opportunity to be a great NBA player.”
Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka called James on the second day of the NBA draft to tell him the Lakers were taking him, expressing his confidence in the USC product.
“You’ve worked incredibly hard. You’ve put in a lot of effort.” Pelinka said in a behind-the-scenes video released by the Lakers.
Los Angeles appears to back up those words by signing Bronny to a multi-year, NBA standard contract with multiple guaranteed seasons. The Athletic reported.
The decision to sign a second-round pick to a guaranteed contract is rare but not unprecedented.
Jalen Pickett was the 32nd overall pick by the Nuggets last year and signed a four-year contract worth $8.2 million, including $5.8 million guaranteed.
Chris Livingston was selected by the Bucks with the last pick of the second round last year and signed a four-year contract with the Bucks worth $7.6 million, including $3 million guaranteed.
Bronny’s agent, Rich Paul, also represents Livingston.
Bronny averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists during his freshman season at USC.
The move to sign Bronny to a roster contract would help the Lakers avoid luxury tax penalties because giving a roster spot to a rookie minimum salary player would minimize the penalty, The Athletic reported.
