With September underway, the clock is officially ticking on the 2026 NBA offseason, and that means the Los Angeles Lakers have no time to waste.
The question surrounding the Lakers is whether they will make another move this summer after the many they made in July. The roster still needs some reinforcements, especially in the frontcourt, and L.A. needs to trim count to meet the NBA-mandated limit.
With that, the focus shifts to Bronny James, Dalton Knecht and Jaden Hardy, the three Lakers most-mentioned as candidates to be waived or potentially traded. With L.A. needing help in multiple areas, the team could look to move one, two or all three players to help bring in talent to improve the roster.
Bronny James’ Time With Lakers Reaching an Endpoint?
The moment his father informed the Lakers he wasn’t going to return for a ninth season with the franchise, James’ future has been debated. James has been involved in plenty of trade rumors linking him to the Philadelphia 76ers, who signed his father in free agency in late July.
While there doesn’t appear to be any movement on a James to Philadelphia trade, Heavy’s Sean Deveney reports that the 21-year-old guard could be involved in a deal to help carve out room for the Lakers to add free agent wingman Bruce Brown.
“If the Lakers want to make a move that would free up room to add another player — Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer mentioned Bruce Brown as a possibility — they would probably need to make deals for both Knecht and Hardy, or offload a contract like that of Bronny James.”
Brown, 30, is arguably the most intriguing remaining free agent. A 2023 NBA champion with the Nuggets, Brown appeared in all 82 regular season games and shot nearly 39 percent from the 3-point line last season. The Lakers, who previously had interest in Brown, are reportedly in the mix for the veteran wingman.
At least for now, it may be fair to speculate that Hardy and Knecht are more likely trade candidates than James. Both are older than James, who is entering his third season after demonstrating flashes of promise in Year 2.
Plus, Lakers insider Khobi Price reported this offseason that the Lakers have appreciation for James, their 21-year-old guard they selected near the bottom of the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft.
“If the team signing LeBron is also looking to acquire Bronny, they would likely need to send the Lakers a real asset as part of a trade,” Price wrote in July. “Bronny is well-liked throughout multiple levels of the organization.”
Said Lakers analyst Trevor Lane: “My understanding is that the Lakers do value Bronny. They like the trajectory that he is on. And I don’t think there is this urgency to necessarily move on from him just because his name is LeBron James Jr.”
Bronny’s Place in L.A. May Be Safe for Now
James, whose contract was guaranteed just one day before his father departed the organization, has a team-option for the 2027-28 season, meaning the Lakers could revisit moving James next summer if the young guard doesn’t get moved before then.
If James remains in Los Angeles, he’ll have a unique opportunity to play for the first time without his father’s hot spotlight shining over him.
Could fewer eyes following James help him assemble the strongest season of his career? It sure looks like he’ll have a chance to do so.
Report: Lakers Could Trade Bronny James to Land 39% 3-Point Sniper