Dallas has the No. 58 overall pick, three picks after the Lakers, and a player they have reportedly been targetting is Bronny James. There have been some rumors that Dallas could even trade up ahead of the Lakers to draft Bronny, but with this JJ Redick news, the Mavs may be the biggest losers of this signing.
With Redick being signed by the Lakers, it’s even more of an incentive for LeBron to stay in Los Angeles. It already seemed extremely likely that LeBron was going to stay, and this Redick hiring likely increases that possibility even more.
If the Mavs are able to draft Bronny, it could give them a great recruiting strategy to lure LeBron to Dallas, but now LeBron has his guy as his head coach in Los Angeles. LeBron isn’t locked in on teaming up with his son, but teaming up with his son and Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving may be something that he can’t turn down.
The Dallas Mavericks’ impressive postseason run ended with a Game 5 loss to the Boston Celtics in the 2024 NBA Finals. Despite a strong effort, particularly in Game 4, the Mavericks couldn’t overcome Boston. Now, Dallas must regroup ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft.
In a move that could significantly impact Dallas, the Los Angeles Lakers hired JJ Redick as their head coach on a four-year deal. Redick, a close friend of LeBron James, takes over just before the draft, where the Lakers hold the 17th and 55th picks, while Dallas has the 58th pick and is rumored to be interested in Bronny James. Redick’s hiring might discourage LeBron from leaving Los Angeles, reducing the Mavericks’ chances of drafting Bronny and attracting LeBron.
Additionally, the Lakers might pursue Mavs assistant coach Jared Dudley for Redick’s staff, which would be another setback for Dallas. Losing Dudley, a top assistant, would be a significant blow, potentially requiring Dallas to offer a substantial pay raise to keep him. The Redick hiring could, therefore, have a more profound negative effect on the Mavericks than initially anticipated.
