It was farfetched before, but now there's really no chance the Utah Jazz land LeBron James

We pitched an idea not long ago which saw the Utah Jazz using their late-first-round pick or early second-round pick to select Bronny James, with the sole point of bringing Bronny's father, LeBron James, to the Utah Jazz his offseason. James isn't the same player he was when he joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018-2019, no longer able to carry a team on his own deep into the NBA Playoffs, but he's still a good talent.

And the Jazz need a small forward. In theory, the Jazz would bring James in, move Lauri Markkanen to the power forward spot, start Walker Kessler, and then use Collin Sexton and Kris Dunn as starters around James. Keyonte George, Brice Sensabaugh, Taylor Hendricks, and Jordan Clarkson would come off the bench.

All the while the Jazz would develop Bronny James into, hopefully, an NBA-ready player. It was a bold idea that we had, and fortunes favor people like us. We were just optimistic. Especially after yet another season where Danny Ainge pulled the plug on our fun.

Yet, after Bronny fell off the recent mock draft boards due to his underwhelming season at USC, we no longer think the Jazz should waste a pick on Bronny this season. The young man may still be a really good player in the NBA, but he needs at least another season at USC to see what he can be, or has the capability of becoming.

Yes, it means missing out on James, but James only has a season or two left in the NBA to begin with, it's not like you were building a decade-long dynasty with LeBron and Bronny. The odds of you landing a dynasty-altering player in the draft like Cooper Flagg is more likely than turning two seasons of LeBron and Bronny into a ring.

Bronny may still be a player to keep an eye on come 2025, but it's clear his health issues have slowed his development and he should return for another season at USC. He may still be a great prospect but we won't find out in the 2024-2025 NBA season.