Report: Bronny James drawing interest from perennial Eastern Conference contender

Is Pat Riley hatching up a plan that ends with LeBron James returning to Miami?

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Miami Heat are actively scouting Bronny James and could use a 2024 draft pick on him.

During his appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show," Charania revealed the various teams that are currently scouting the USC freshman.

"Lakers have scouted him, Miami, Toronto… plenty of teams have gone out and scouted Bronny James," Charania said. "The question is: will he declare [for the draft] or return [to college]."

While the Heat own their first-round pick this year, the Lakers will be surrendering theirs to the Pelicans as part of the Anthony Davis trade. As such, the Lakers will need Bronny to fall to the second round. 

The Raptors, meanwhile, can emerge as the sleeper, considering they own two first-round selections and a second-round pick (via the Pistons). The second-round pick is projected to be in the early part of the round due to Detroit's league-worst record this season.

It has long been believed that James prefers to finish out his career playing with his son. Earlier this month, NBA insider Marc Stein reported that James may be willing to take a pay cut just to share the court with Bronny, and therefore forego his $51 million player option with the Lakers.

James himself revealed last year that one of his final few goals in the NBA was to play with Bronny. 

"I need to be on the floor with my boy, I got to be on the floor with Bronny," James told ESPN.

At this point, it's too early to speculate if Bronny will be one-and-done in college or return to USC for another season. Many believe Bronny may return for a sophomore year after missing the early part of his freshman season due to a cardiac arrest. 

James has until June 29 to decide on his player option with the Lakers. The 2024 NBA Draft will be held on June 26-27. That ought to be an interesting week leading into July's free agency period.