Reacts: Will teams risk a high draft pick on Bronny James to sign LeBron?

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Each week, we send out questions to the most plugged in Los Angeles Lakers fans, and fans across the country. Sign up here to join Reacts, and check out DraftKings Sportsbook, the official sportsbook partner of SB Nation.

When LeBron James revisited the topic of potentially playing with his son during the All-Star break, it came with a new caveat that showed just how much he wanted to accomplish the goal. James has long maximized the amount of money he can earn on a year-to-year basis and hasn’t taken a discount on a contract since joining the Heat well over a decade ago.

But the prospect of playing with Bronny James is so desirable that James said money won’t matter, effectively admitting he’ll sign for the minimum. In doing so, it creates an interesting proposition for teams to consider in a few seasons.

Is it worth drafting Bronny if it means you’ll get LeBron on the minimum?

Considering how LeBron is playing right now, it’d be an easy yes. But eventually — I think, maybe, right? — Father Time will catch up to LeBron. Is it worth taking Bronny to get LeBron, and how high in the draft is too high?

That was the subject of this week’s SB Nations reacts survey with fans surveyed about whether they would draft Bronny early in the draft to land LeBron.

For now, there are too many variables to determine what the right answer is. For one, James’ level of play in two years will determine a lot of this. If he’s still playing at an MVP level, there may not be a pick too high to secure James.

There’s the variable of whether James really will accept a minimum to play with his son. If he IS playing at an MVP level or even an All-Star level, would he immediately sacrifice all that money to play with Bronny?

And Bronny’s development and status as a prospect factors into this, too. Right now, it seems he’s a fringe first-round prospect with a floor of a second round pick on his own. Obviously, LeBron’s status will factor into the matter, too, but if Bronny explodes in the coming years as a prospect, LeBron may not factor as much into the situation.

It’ll be a fascinating situation to monitor as the years come by. For now, teams may not be willing to take Bronny high in the draft but so much can change in two years.

Contender or pretender?

It’s time for the annual tradition of watching the Jazz succeed in the regular season and having pundits try to talk themselves and others into them being a contender. This time around, Utah is firmly entrenched as the fourth seed in the Western Conference.

But do fans think this year will end any different than previous flameouts? Nope!

Can any team that has lost to the Lakers twice this season, both times effectively without Anthony Davis, really call themselves a contender?

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