Though it wasn’t a DNP, it’s hard to see Bronny James‘ one minute played in the Los Angeles Lakers‘ win over the Miami Heat in garage time as a strong signal that he’s closer to becoming a consistent role player for the team.
During the lead-up to the regular season and through the first few games of the year for the Lakers, there’s been some recent trade buzz surrounding James, and as his either limited minutes or complete games sitting on the bench continue, the idea remains that he’s on the chopping block in Los Angeles, whether it is through a trade or simply getting waived.
Amid some recent reports about the Lakers’ upcoming trade plans, it is fair to say James shouldn’t feel secure as it relates to his roster spot, as while it’s becoming evident he doesn’t hold a ton of value for the team, he could be the key for the Purple and Gold to upgrade the roster.
Lakers Bronny James Trade Rumors Continue
As mentioned, James played just one minute in the Lakers’ win over the Heat, and while he made his one shot and recorded a block, it doesn’t move the needle much with his still-limited 11 total minutes and four total points in four appearances on the season so far.
With that, as well as the previous rumors and more recent buzz about James being on the chopping block, either by means of getting traded or waived, comments by Lakers reporter Jovan Buha paint a dark picture of James’ standing on the team.
“If the Lakers don’t make a move and don’t try to improve this roster, it would be malpractice,” he said on Buha’s Block about the Lakers making a move to capitalize on Luka Doncic’s MVP-level start. “I just think that would be a giant mistake having Luka in his prime, potentially the best season of his career, and to not improve a couple of holes in the roster.”
“If this is the best opportunity or potentially the best opportunity, you have to go for it,” he added. “Odds of making a trade, I would say like 65% right now.”
Those words come shortly after Buha gave a previously brutal outlook on James as it relates to his future with the Lakers. The son of LeBron James has been sitting on the outside of the roster and rotation for months now, and with Jaden Hardy seeing more playing time than him, it doesn’t look good for the 22-year-old former second-round pick.
“Whatever they decide, I think something has to happen soon because they can’t keep playing this current rotation,” he said last week on his show. “Then it’s Hardy or Bronny. And then I think they’re gonna try to flip Hardy. So Bronny is the one who’s only making a couple million that they could potentially waive.”
There’s also been talk about the Lakers demoting James to the G League, but with the need to make a trade to upgrade the roster, in a somewhat surprising turn, he could be the key to Los Angeles getting the backup center they’ve reportedly been targeting for a while.
Los Angeles’ Young Player Could Be Key To Roster Upgrade
With James firmly sitting on the chopping block for the Lakers, there’s been trade buzz about how he could be used as an asset for the franchise to finally land a backup big man upgrade.
As CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn wrote in a post on X, though James might not have a ton of value sitting on the end of the bench for the Lakers, another team could view him more favorably, especially considering his last name.
“If I were the Lakers, I’d be trying to trade Bronny right now to some owner who wants to sell some jerseys. I’d rather keep Knecht on the books as possible trade salary than cut him and deal with dead money. The Lakers don’t really need the James brand like other teams do,” he wrote on X after the Lakers kept James over Dalton Knecht before the season.
“Just hasn’t reached the point of offensive viability through two years, and the defensive threshold is just so freaking high at that size that if he’s never gonna make shots, he basically has to be a Jamal Shead-level pest to even justify a roster spot and he isn’t.”
Take the Milwaukee Bucks, for example, as Jericho Sims has long been mentioned as a Lakers trade target. After moving on from Giannis Antetokounmpo, the tanking Bucks could significantly benefit from adding James to the roster, as it relates to jersey sales and overall attention on the team.
The Lakers tried trading Knecht for Sims, but Milwaukee didn’t budge. Perhaps James, though he doesn’t have the same level of NBA experience, could move the needle for a small-market team looking to stay relevant. A straight-up swap for the two does work under the current CBA.
Just an idea, but as Buha’s Lakers trade comments continue, it’s hard not to see James as the one sitting on the outside and potentially being the top candidate Rob Pelinka and the front office want to move.
James remains on the roster, but has played sparingly so far this season. If he wants to continue his NBA career, while it could be tough in the moment, getting traded from the Lakers might be his best chance at staying in the league.
Lakers Bronny James Trade Buzz Takes Sharp Turn Over New Rumors