Mat Ishbia: Lakers' Bronny James Would've Been 'Good Fit' with Suns amid NBA Rumors
July 17, 2024
Suns owner Mat Ishbia believes Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James would have been a "good fit" in Phoenix.
"I don't know exactly where Bronny wanted to go. We really liked Bronny. We thought he was a good player," Ishbia said Wednesday on the Pat McAfee Show. "I know the Lakers drafted him. I hope he has a great career. He's got a great basketball IQ, he does a lot a great things, and he's got a lot of pressure— to be the son of one of the greatest all time, he's got a lot of pressure.
"And so, we thought it might be a good fit here in Phoenix."
Pat McAfee @PatMcAfeeShow"We thought Bronny James would be a great fit here in Phoenix but the Lakers drafted him..<br><br>We want Phoenix to be a destination and it's always a positive thing when players wanna come here" ~ <a href="https://twitter.com/Mishbia15?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Mishbia15</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PMSLive?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PMSLive</a> <a href="https://t.co/Gjmy0j1MyU">pic.twitter.com/Gjmy0j1MyU</a>
James reportedly worked out for only the Lakers and the Suns during the pre-draft process, despite interest from at least six other teams, ESPN's Jonathan Givony reported.
The Suns entered the 2024 NBA Draft with just the No. 22 pick, but made a draft-day deal to acquire Nos. 28 and 56 picks. Ishbia and the Suns then dealt the No. 56 selection to move up to No. 40.
The No. 28 pick was likely to early to select James, who was not projected as a first-rounder. The Suns instead used the selection to add Virginia's Ryan Dunn.
The high second-round pick, however, gave the Suns the chance to select James before Los Angeles got on the board at No. 55. Instead, Phoenix drafted Marquette's Oso Ighodaro, leaving James to fall to the Lakers.
Ishbia might have believed the Suns, led by the star trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, might put less of a spotlight on James than his current position alongside his father LeBron James on the Lakers' roster.
But James' camp may have been focused on getting the 19-year-old to the Lakers. ESPN's Bob Myers reported before the draft that James' agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, had called some teams before the draft and warned them not to select James at the risk of the rookie spending the next season overseas.
Whatever the ultimate reason for the Suns' decision, James made his Lakers debut during the Summer League earlier this month. It sounds like Ishbia and the Suns will be watching to see how his career progresses when James makes his anticipated regular-season debut this fall.