Rich Paul has never had to worry too much about finding the right fit for LeBron James, who would fit on any NBA roster. But putting his son Bronny on the best possible path to NBA success won’t be so easy.
Bronny James probably won’t be an early first-round pick, and Paul He admitted it to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report. The goal is to find the right candidate for the 19-year-old, even if that means leaving out certain teams and situations.
In James’ case, a two-way contract is firmly out of the question.
“Teams know that. I’m not going to do that,” Paul told Bleacher Report.
A two-way deal would likely force James to spend part of his rookie season in the G League, no matter how well he plays. A standard NBA contract wouldn’t take the G League off the table, but it would make it more likely that James would remain on an NBA roster.
Despite his public search, the process of finding the right fit for players who aren’t lottery prospects is something he does every year, Paul insisted.
“This isn’t Bronny-centric,” Paul said. “He’s part of our draft class. I have to try to help find the right fit for all my guys, as well as the right deal.”
Here’s a closer look at James’ projected draft range and what makes a two-way contract different than a standard NBA contract.
Bronny James NBA Draft Projection
Paul gave the clearest view yet of what he expects James’ draft range to be. While some teams view the USC rookie guard as a candidate to be picked in the 20-40 range, Paul told Bleacher Report, others put him in the 30-50 range and still others peg him as an undrafted free agent.
It’s a wide range, which isn’t unusual for players with as many unknowns as James. Any team that drafts James will do so based on his raw potential, if not for the connection to his father.
Still, all it takes is for one team to have greater potential than others for James to come off the board sooner than expected. And one of those teams could be emerging.
The Suns are considering James with the 22nd pick. The farces of Athletic Charania reported on Friday and will resolve it before the draft. James has 10 training requests but will not accept them all, the report added. The Suns and Lakers are among the teams James will train for.
Here’s a look at why a two-way contract makes sense for many NBA second-round picks and what James’ refusal could mean.
What is a two-way contract in the NBA?
Two-way contracts allow players to split time between the NBA and G League. In 2023-24, players on two-way contracts earned about $560,000, half the NBA’s rookie minimum salary, and could not be active for more than 50 of their team’s 82 games.
A handful of 2023 second-round picks signed bilateral agreements after the draft.
| Player | Choose | Equipment | NBA games played |
| Amari Bailey | 41 | Hornets | 10 |
| Seth Lundy | 46 | Falcons | 9 |
| Jordan Miller | 48 | Scissors | 8 |
| Emonia Bates | 49 | gentlemen | fifteen |
| Keyontae Johnson | fifty | Thunder | 9 |
| Jaylen Clark | 53 | timber wolves | 0 |
| Jalen Slawson | 54 | Kings | 12 |
| Isaiah Wong | 55 | pacemaker | 1 |
Eight of the final 18 picks in the 2023 NBA Draft signed two-way deals, so Paul’s demand that James not sign a two-way contract is notable and could limit the USC guard’s potential landing spots.
However, that might be what Paul wants. He has made it clear that he is focused on finding the right choice, not necessarily the first choice, for his client.
From a playing time perspective, it’s easy to see why Paul isn’t interested in a two-way contract for James. No 2023 draft pick who signed a two-way contract played more than 15 NBA games as a rookie, and nearly all of the appearances among the eight players came during the “garbage time” portion of the game.
When not in the NBA, these players were able to get more consistent time and development at the G League level. Time will tell if James’ NBA home will want him to do the same.
