Bronny James' Top Potential NBA Landing Spots After Declaring for 2024 Draft

USC guard Bronny James is leaving all options on the table following a disappointing freshman season.

The freshman announced Friday he's declaring for the 2024 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility. To that end, he's entering the transfer portal, so he could be suiting up for a team other than the Trojans if he returns for a sophomore campaign.

James averaged 4.8 points on 36.6 percent shooting along with 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 2023-24. His offseason preparations were adversely impacted after he suffered cardiac arrest, and he never seemed to find his footing after debuting nine games into USC's season.

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman omitted James from his newest 2024 NBA mock draft and has offered an even-handed assessment of the 19-year-old's stock.

In terms of improving his draft position, staying in college is arguably James' best course of action. However, he might prefer falling to the second round or perhaps even going undrafted altogether. The former would lighten his expectations out of the gate, while he'd have more freedom in picking his next destination with the latter.

Examining his NBA options, these three situations make plenty of sense.

Wherever LeBron James Is Playing

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BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 07: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers shouts to his son, Bronny James #6 of the USC Trojans, during Bronny's game against the California Golden Bears at Haas Pavilion on February 07, 2024 in Berkeley, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

One can argue whether teaming up with his dad, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, is the best thing for Bronny. It's bound to increase the comparisons between father and son, and the goals of LeBron's teams don't often align with what a player like Bronny needs.

The Lakers, for example, won't be in a position where they could let Bronny learn on the fly and make the mistakes that are typical for any rookie.

But LeBron has on multiple occasions either said directly or alluded to his desire to play alongside his son in the NBA. If he so chooses, the 39-year-old can opt out of his contract and sign with whatever team selects Bronny in the draft.

Especially after what he went through as a freshman, maybe a father/son tandem is what Bronny will need to find some early stability in the NBA.

Miami Heat

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MIAMI, FL - APRIL 2: Caleb Martin #16 of the Miami Heat and Head Coach Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat speak during the game against the New York Knicks on April 2, 2024 at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images)

Simply put, no team has been better at player development in recent years than the Miami Heat. They've taken a number of undrafted free agents and NBA castoffs and molded them into solid rotational players.

As the No. 18 pick in the 2023 draft, Jaime Jaquez Jr. doesn't fit into that category, but he's at least another young player thriving amid Miami's continued push for a title.

"Heat Culture" has become a thing for a reason.

The team has a second-round pick—currently projected for No. 43 overall—that it could target for Bronny, or it could hope he goes undrafted and try to sign him.

It's hard to pick a better setting for Bronny than South Florida.

Taking a back seat and falling out of the spotlight for a bit could help his overall development, and there's a clear proof of concept in terms of head coach Erik Spoelstra getting the best out of the talent at his disposal for those willing to put in the work.

San Antonio Spurs

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DENVER, CO - APRIL 2: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs looks on during the game against the Denver Nuggets on April 2, 2024 at the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2024 NBAE (Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images)

Despite what the San Antonio Spurs' record says, you could do much worse than hitching your wagons to Victor Wembanyama.

Wembanyama is averaging 21.2 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists and an NBA-best 3.5 blocks as a rookie. His emergence has eased a lot of the pain fans would otherwise be feeling amid an 18-win campaign.

As they continue building the roster around the presumptive Rookie of the Year, point guard is likely to be near the top of the Spurs' offseason wish list. Tre Jones isn't the answer, at least within a starting context, and he might be gone in the near future because he only signed a two-year deal.

San Antonio could opt for a veteran addition as a stopgap to accelerate both Wembanyama's development and its timeline to becoming a contender. In that scenario, James would be positioned as the long-term successor at the point who would ideally slot right into the starting role after two or three years.