Los Angeles Lakers forward and NBA legend LeBron James has been quoted saying he wants to play long enough to see his son, Lebron Raymone James Jr., also known as “Bronny,” reach the NBA. “I need to be on the floor with my boy,” LeBron said in an interview with Dave McMenamin on ESPN’s “NBA Today.” According to James, it could be in the “same uniform or a matchup with him… I would love to do the whole Ken Griffey Sr./Jr. thing. That would be ideal, for sure, spending a full year with him in the same uniform, that would be the icing on the cake.”

LeBron has implied he would figure a way to join whichever team Bronny ends up drafted to. So, seeing as the Lakers usually have playoff aspirations, it’s unlikely they end up in a spot to draft Bronny and LeBron will indeed have to leave.

ESPN’s Jonathan Givony recently came out with a mock draft for the 2024 NBA draft. He projects Bronny James to be drafted at the number 10 spot by the Orlando Magic. Of course, due to the NBA’s draft lottery process in which the picks are determined by chance and not entirely record, it’s impossible to definitively predict the order of picks. But Bronny playing for the Magic is a fair bet.

Either way, it’s likely to be a bottom-feeder that ends up with Bronny. Does that mean LeBron will still find a way to play with his son, even if it means going to a bad team? Let’s take a look at the options.

LeBron’s Magic

If Bronny does end up being drafted by the Magic, LeBron heading there to team up with him could actually work really well. While Orlando is currently one of the worst teams in the NBA and it’s likely to stay that way into next season, they have a solid young core including the rising star Paulo Banchero. In his rookie season, he’s averaging 19.9 points per game, 6.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 0.5 blocks and 0.9 steals. Those are fantastic numbers and make him the leading candidate for rookie of the year.

Combined with Cole Anthony, Bol Bol and Wendell Carter Jr., Banchero rounds out a young team with a lot of potential. Adding Bronny James, and perhaps LeBron as a result, could catapult the Magic back into relevance and contention in the eastern conference.

Rocketing into Relevance

Another team that could end up with Bronny is the Houston Rockets. They’re currently the worst team in the NBA and are projected take the highly-touted Victor Wembanyama should they acquire the #1 overall pick. But even with Wembanyama, they may end up with a lottery pick in 2024 due to the rest of their mediocre roster. That puts them in the perfect position to Bronny.

A team-up consisting of Victor Wembanyama, Bronny and LeBron James would be a fearsome one. Yet, with the lack of talent everywhere else on Houston’s roster, they may look similar to the current Los Angeles Lakers and just tread water, hoping to make the play-in tournament.

Regardless, it will be interesting to see where Bronny James ends up and how that affects LeBron’s decision and, therefore, the rest of the league.