Agent says limited NBA draft workouts by Bronny James 'by design' - ESPN

Sources from a half-dozen NBA teams have told ESPN that they've had difficulty in securing workouts with 2024 draft prospect Bronny James, but the agent for the former USC guard confirms James has worked out individually for just two teams at this point — the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Lakers — and that is by design.

Agent Rich Paul, CEO of Klutch Sports Group, pushed back to ESPN on Wednesday on any notion that James has received different treatment than other players throughout the pre-draft process.

The Suns hold the No. 22 overall pick, while the Lakers have picks Nos. 17 and 55 in the NBA draft on June 26-27 in New York (TV: ABC/ESPN/ESPN+).

Other NBA teams have told ESPN that they are interested in seeing James in a different context and workout setting than the one they scouted at USC.

«This is nothing new,» Paul said. «The goal is to find a team that values your guy and try to push him to get there. It's important to understand the context and realize that this has always been the strategy with many of my clients throughout the years, especially those in need of development like Bronny. My stuff is by design.»

Paul pointed to his track record of steering clients to preferable destinations, such as he did with Talen Horton-Tucker (No. 46 pick in 2019), Brandon Boston Jr. (No. 51 pick in 2021) and Chris Livingston (No. 58 pick in 2023) all landing guaranteed deals despite conducting few workouts and being picked late in the draft.

Paul said he also took similar strategies with the likes of first-round selections MarJon Beachamp (No. 24 pick in 2022) and Darius Garland (No. 5 pick in 2019), shielding his clients from workouts and withholding medical information from teams, something that is now prohibited by