Fox Sports analyst Nick Wright believes that Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley’s connection with the University of Southern California could help Cleveland land LeBron James and his son Bronny following the 2023-24 season.
The elder James, who was drafted No. 1 overall by the Cavs in the 2003 NBA Draft, already has two stints with the franchise under his belt.
While he is currently under contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, he can opt out and become a free agent following the 2023-24 season.
LeBron x Bronny x Cavs?
— @getnickwright on what Bronny committing to USC means for LeBron's future: pic.twitter.com/xIyhN4jtvo
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) May 8, 2023
“Evan Mobley plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers,” Wright said. “Evan Mobley’s father Eric is an assistant coach at USC. The Cavs traded away all of their future first-round picks, except for their ‘24 first-round pick, which would be the year that Bronny could come out of school if he was one and done.”
The younger James recently committed to USC for his collegiate basketball career, and he even received a shoutout from Isaiah Mobley, who is also a USC alum and currently with the Cavs.
Isaiah Mobley was a second-round pick by Cleveland in the 2022 NBA Draft after playing three seasons for the Trojans.
It’s still a long shot that the Cavs would be able to land the younger James, even though Wright thinks it is possible.
The Fox Sports analyst explained that the Cavs need a small forward on their roster, and that the team would likely be picking in the late first round in the 2024 NBA Draft.
The only issue with that is that ESPN recently projected the younger James to go in the top 10 of the draft in 2024. A strong combo guard that has a great basketball IQ, the younger James may not be around for the Cavs to pick if they are a playoff team again next season.
While it is fun to make the connection and envision a third stint for the elder James with his hometown team, Cavs fans may want to temper their expectations despite Wright’s theory.
Cleveland is already paying major money to Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen, and Evan Mobley will be up for an extension soon as well. Unless the elder James was willing to take a pay cut, Cleveland may struggle to fit him on to the roster due to cap restrictions.
For now, the younger James has to focus on his first collegiate season to showcase himself for the NBA before Cleveland can even worry about drafting him in 2024.
