Bronny James remains on the Los Angeles Lakers‘ roster, but with just four points scored and 11 minutes played through the team’s first eight games of the season, it’s clear the third-year guard is sitting on the outside of the rotation.
With that, as has been the case for months now, the idea of the Lakers either waiving or trading James has been one that keeps coming up. He isn’t getting playing time, and the team could use his spot on the roster to add another forward or center who could contribute at a higher level.
The scrutiny on James has increased since the start of the 2026-27 NBA season, and most recently, a former first overall pick and former Lakers player made it extremely clear how he feels about LeBron James‘ son still being on the roster.
Kwame Brown Urges Lakers To Cut Ties With Bronny James
Speaking on his YouTube channel, former NBA player Kwame Brown pleaded with the Lakers to get James off the roster.
“It’s mind-blowing how somebody lost a job to that,” Brown stated about the other young basketball players looking for an opportunity in the league. “Some kid that worked their butt off that really feel like they could have made the NBA, they lost their job to that.”
James was selected 54th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, and while that on its own came with arguably more criticism than any other second-round pick, he remains with the Lakers, now in his third season.
“And the only reason why everybody’s okay with it is because of his father,” the former Los Angeles forward from 2005 to 2008 continued. “That’s a shame what we actually are seeing. Call it hate, call it whatever you want. To me, it’s a shame.”
“It’s mind-blowing how somebody lost a job to that.”
“Some kid that worked their butt off that really feel like they could have
Brown isn’t the only notable person to call out James’ status on the Lakers.
However, his contract is guaranteed, and though his father left, the 22-year-old remains on the end of the bench for the franchise amid its 6-2 start to the season.
Still, with James getting very minimal playing time, he hasn’t been immune to some recent Lakers trade rumors and roster-cut buzz, as while it looks like the team is eyeing a move, it’s clear the young guard is on the chopping block.
Brown was the NBA’s first overall pick in the 2001 Draft, and while he didn’t have a super successful career in his own right, his thoughts about James’ status on the Lakers were made very clear with his latest comments.
Los Angeles Could Waive Or Trade Young Guard
Appearing in four games so far this season and averaging just one point and 0.3 blocks in 2.8 minutes, James sits at the end of the Lakers’ bench and has been consistently mentioned as a player who could either get waived or traded in the near future.
Previously, it was Lakers reporter Jovan Buha who has predicted James will get waived should the team make a move to upgrade the roster.
“Whatever they decide, I think something has to happen soon because they can’t keep playing this current rotation,” he said on his show, Buha’s Block. “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.”
“The Los Angeles Lakers should still be looking to plug holes and should have no qualms about moving on from Bronny James,” Tyler Watts also wrote on where James stands in Los Angeles and the potential of him getting traded. “They already made a mistake keeping him into the regular season. The preseason struggles were the perfect reason to move on. The Lakers need to plug their holes ASAP, and it will likely cost them Bronny.”
Bringing up another good point, CBS Sports Sam Quinn added that though the Lakers might not value James, he could hold higher value somewhere else.
“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 in a post on X.
While only citing a few examples, the buzz about the Lakers potentially waiving or trading James has only grown since the start of the season, as it has become clear the team has no plans to give him consistent playing time or develop him into a rotational player.
For now, James remains with the Lakers, but as time goes on, the rumors and reports continue. While he was strong in his wording, Brown might get his wish, because as the season plays out, it doesn’t look like the young guard has a bright future in Los Angeles.
Lakers Urged To Cut Ties With Bronny James By Notable No 1. Overall Pick