The Lakers hold the 17th and 55th overall picks in the upcoming draft. While Bronny James isn’t widely expected to be selected in either the first or second round based on his freshman year performance, his draft stock may have been impacted by health issues. He experienced a cardiac arrest during the summer, which delayed his college debut by a month.

LeBron James has previously expressed his ambition to share the court with his son in the NBA, a historic milestone for a father-son duo, though he has since tempered those comments. Nevertheless, the interest from the Lakers’ management, as evidenced by Pelinka’s attendance alongside LeBron, suggests that the franchise is seriously considering Bronny’s potential.

This move can be seen as the Lakers doing their homework on the young prospect, monitoring his development, and assessing his fit for their future roster plans.