Rich Paul did what agents do: He tried to steer his client where he wanted to go with the Lakers, and reportedly told other teams, “If you draft him, he’ll play in Australia instead of for you.”

It worked, Bronny James stayed on the board until he picked No. 55, when the Lakers selected him. However, the Warriors seriously considered drafting him at No. 52, reports ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.

”…The Golden State Warriors, who had tried to trade for James last season, were unsure whether to draft Bronny at No. 52. The Warriors were pleased with Bronny’s skills and had him on their draft board, sources said. Selecting him ahead of the Lakers, who had the 55th pick, would have been a smart move — perhaps even enticing James to sign there as a free agent. But ultimately, sources said, the Warriors chose to respect the wishes James made clear and the Lakers indicated they would fulfill them.

Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob had contacted Lakers governor Jeanie Buss last season in an attempt to spark trade talks with LeBron James, but to no avail. Drafting Bronny as a potential leverage to land LeBron wasn’t just an idea from the Warriors front office, even though LeBron (and Paul) had said the superstar wasn’t going anywhere, all of which led to calls and the threat to Australia.

In the end, it wasn’t worth it for Golden State. Bronny has potential, but anyone drafted in the second half of the second round has a strong chance of becoming an NBA rotation pick in the future. They could take different dice that wouldn’t anger one of the most powerful agents in the league.

Bronny and LeBron are together in Los Angeles and don’t be surprised if the Lakers play each other early in the season, perhaps on opening night against Minnesota. The feeling from league sources is that Los Angeles would like to get it done, move past all the focus on that storyline and then focus on Bronny spending a lot of time in the G-League and developing his game.