A 2024 NBA mock draft from Tankathon has Bronny James landing with the Miami Heat toward the end of the first round.
James, the eldest son of current Los Angeles Lakers and former Heat superstar LeBron James, will be a freshman at the University of Southern California for the 2023-24 season.
The younger James is one of the top guards in his class, and – based on this mock draft – it’s likely that he will find himself as a candidate to be picked in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft if his freshman season with the Trojans goes well.
An NBA insider recently reported that the elder James really wants to team up with his son, so it’s possible that he could join the team that drafts the younger James next offseason, should the youngster decide to enter the draft.
The Lakers have the elder James under contract for the 2023-24 season, but he has a player option for the 2024-25 campaign. That means that the elder James could opt out of his deal and become an unrestricted free agent next offseason, leaving him free to sign with any team.
The Heat already have a very established core with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, but it’s possible that Pat Riley could attempt to lure the elder James back to South Beach by drafting his son.
The elder James, who spent four seasons in Miami, is one of the most important players in franchise history even though he was only with the team for a short time.
Along with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, he helped lead the Heat to four straight NBA Finals appearances and two NBA titles. The Heat’s Big 3 eventually broke up when the elder James decided to go back home to the Cleveland Cavaliers, but the trio of the elder James, Wade and Bosh still put together a historic run together.
As the four-time NBA champion enters the twilight of his career, it seems like he has a goal to play with his son in mind. It’s possible that the elder James just follows his son to whichever team drafts him, but he also will likely have some preferred landing spots for himself – and his son – next offseason.
After making the NBA Finals in the 2022-23 season, the Heat should be more focused on winning a title in the 2023-24 campaign than the 2024 NBA Draft, but it’s fun to dream about the NBA’s all-time leading scorer teaming up with his son in South Beach.