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By Shams Charania, John Hollinger, Hunter Patterson and Lauren Merola
Lakers rookie Bronny James had a “surreal” week since being drafted by Los Angeles with the fifty fifth choose within the 2024 NBA Draft on Thursday, he mentioned alongside Dalton Knecht on the rookies’ introductory information convention Tuesday.
“(I’m) simply attempting to take all of it in,” James mentioned. “(I’m) extraordinarily grateful for all the pieces that JJ (Redick) and Rob (Pelinka) have given to me and I’ve simply been extraordinarily excited to get to work.”
To that, new Lakers coach JJ Redick mentioned, “Rob and I didn’t give Bronny something. Bronny has earned this.”
Redick mentioned each rookies will play in each the California Traditional and Las Vegas summer time leagues. The Lakers’ first summer time league recreation is Saturday in San Francisco. They face the Sacramento Kings at 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Knecht will put on No. 4, channeling the brand new nickname “Join 4,” and James will put on No. 9.
The Lakers chosen Knecht with the seventeenth choose. The staff requested a exercise with the 6-foot-6, 212-pound wing throughout the draft course of, however his camp declined as a result of it didn’t assume he’d be obtainable halfway via the primary spherical. Redick mentioned he additionally didn’t assume Knecht could be there when the Lakers have been on the clock, however the 23-year-old provides one thing to the staff the Lakers “simply don’t have.”
“I do know all of the gamers and groups, however I’m simply excited to be right here in the proper place and excited to get to work right here and exit and compete,” Knecht mentioned.
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The Lakers have been surprised and thrilled to land Dalton Knecht with the seventeenth choose
James signed a four-year rookie contract with the Lakers that’s value $7.9 million and features a staff possibility within the fourth season, league sources mentioned Wednesday.
James is about to affix his father and NBA all-time scoring chief LeBron James — who plans to re-sign with Los Angeles — although he mentioned he “by no means actually had a considered me going to play with my dad … that wasn’t a major focus of mine.”
The Lakers additionally re-signed guard Max Christie to a four-year, $32 million contract. With LeBron’s impending resolution to re-sign, the Lakers may have the utmost 15 gamers with assured contracts.
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Bronny James is now a Laker. This is what lies forward in his NBA profession
This transfer to signal the youthful James limits Los Angeles’ flexibility and all however ensures it should make a commerce so as to add any new gamers.
The Lakers have a number of avenues to amass new expertise. If Los Angeles opts to signal a participant to a nontaxpayer midlevel exception or minimal contract, it must make a commerce to create a roster spot or execute a sign-and-trade whereas sending a participant again. The Lakers may additionally commerce for a participant or gamers beneath contract with one other staff, as long as they ship out an equal or better variety of gamers within the deal.
Why Bronny’s contract is sensible
It’s not a shock that the Lakers signed the youthful James to a roster contract, although most late draft picks find yourself on two-ways. For tax groups, nevertheless, rostering a late choose makes loads of sense — we noticed it with the Warriors’ Trayce Jackson-Davis and the Bucks’ Chris Livingston, the final two picks within the 2023 draft, a 12 months in the past. Having their 14th roster spot dedicated to a participant making the rookie minimal minimizes the Lakers’ luxurious tax penalty, and offers them roughly one million {dollars} in further wiggle room under the primary apron, ought to that turn into a difficulty at any level this offseason. — John Hollinger, senior NBA author
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(Picture: Ronald Martinez / Getty Photos)
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