A few games into his third season in the NBA, Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James hasn’t carried over the momentum he captured late last season into the new year.
James, 22, has had a rough going so far in the 2026-27 season, and he is part of the reason why head coach JJ Redick hasn’t been pleased with the team’s back up guard rotation, especially down the stretch of games. There continue to be calls among some fans for the Lakers to move on from James, who has a team option for the 2027-28 season.
If the Lakers Sign a Guard, They Are Expected to Waive James
The Lakers have 15 players on the roster, which means they would need to cut a player to sign a free agent. Although the belief is that L.A.’s next move is going to be a trade, likely for a big man to back up star center Walker Kessler, the team’s lackluster guard play behind superstar point guard Luka Doncic has led to suggesting a free agent guard addition. One name that has come up is former Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell, who recently signed a contract with the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association.
During a recent episode of “Buha’s Block,” a podcast hosted by Lakers journalist Jovan Buha, one listener proposed a Russell reunion to add a veteran playmaker behind Doncic. While Buha believes Russell returning to the Lakers is a long shot, the Lakers reporter noted that the team would likely waive James to make room for another free agent signing.
“You’d have to waive (Jaden) Hardy or Bronny, and realistically it would be Bronny because Hardy, they’re gonna try and flip due to his contract,” Buha said.
“Techincally, yeah,” Buha said, referring to the possibility of the Lakers bringing back Russell, the 30-year-old guard who was L.A.’s top pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.
“I don’t think they will though.”
Concerns Grow Over Lakers’ Backcourt Play
Outside of Doncic and Austin Reaves, who are each averaging a career high in points, James and Hardy, as well as Collin Sexton and Quentin Grimes have struggled so far this season. When the going gets tough, L.A. will need a steady table-setter to help alleviate some of the defensive pressure applied against Doncic. So far, L.A.’s reserves have not earned coach Redick’s approval.
“JJ Redick said that it’s ‘unacceptable’ that the Lakers’ third string hasn’t been able to run the offense effectively in fourth quarters,” Buha wrote in an X post following Friday’s Lakers practice. “Redick also said the coaching staff can be better with continuing to emphasize their offensive principles and keeping them organized.”
Of course, James is among the players in question here. While very few expected James to take a large leap this season, the former second round pick did enter the year with some more expectations compared to his first two seasons.
During the offseason, James expressed that he wanted to improve as back up ball-hander this season. So far, the young guard has fallen well short of that goal.
Through six appearances for the Lakers this season, James is averaging just 2.8 minutes and 1.3 points per game. James has not recorded a field goal since the Lakers’ Nov. 2 win over the Miami Heat.
Lakers Could Cut Bronny James to Make Room for Reunion With D’Angelo Russell