Phoenix Suns Still Linked With Bronny James

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns are still being linked with USC guard Bronny James ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft, which is slated to begin later tonight for first-round coverage.

James - the son of Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James - approaches the draft with a wild range of possibilities, as many draft analysts are split on where the Trojans backcourt player will ultimately end up.

Throughout his draft process, James has reportedly only held workouts with the Lakers and Suns - who he reportedly worked out for twice ahead of tonight.

Phoenix is in need of a point guard after Chris Paul departed last summer and Devin Booker/Bradley Beal couldn't exactly fill the void.

The Suns have been linked with a handful of names at No. 22, though NBA insider Marc Stein believes James is still on the radar in Phoenix - specifically in the second round of the draft on Thursday:

"The Suns, by the way, continue to be mentioned as a team with interest in drafting Bronny James, who is projected as a second-round selection in Thursday's portion of the draft."

- Marc Stein

Phoenix currently doesn't have a second-round pick, though the Suns are rumored to be exploring a trade-down with a handful of teams later tonight to acquire additional draft ammo.

Many around the league believed drafting Bronny would be a way to get LeBron to opt out of his player-option and sign with wherever his son landed, though agent Rich Paul put a quick stop to those rumors.

"LeBron is off this idea of having to play with Bronny," Paul said previously.

"If he does, he does. But if he doesn't, he doesn't. There's no deal made that it's guaranteed that if the Lakers draft Bronny at 55, he [LeBron] will re-sign. If that was the case, I would force them to take him at 17. We don't need leverage. The Lakers can draft Bronny, and LeBron doesn't re-sign. LeBron is also not going to Phoenix for a minimum deal. We can squash that now."

The smoke and mirror show is almost over - we'll see if the Suns' interest in James is legitimate over the course of the draft.