The Los Angeles Lakers chose to keep Bronny James over Dalton Knecht for the 2026-27 NBA season, and while keeping as many guards on the roster is probably the right move for the team as things stand now, the young player remains on the chopping block, and could very well be traded at some point this season.
Despite some of the signs he showed in the past and the name on the back of his jersey, James has yet to prove himself as a rotation-caliber player for the Lakers, and in an effort to add another power forward or backup center, he is the first name the front office will likely be looking to trade to land a roster upgrade.
James had a poor preseason showing, and heading into the regular season, the chances of him playing consistently are low. With that, the Lakers might be better suited to move on from the third-year guard and send him elsewhere in an effort to truly compete for a championship this year.
Lakers Urged To Trade Bronny James
Even though the Lakers waived Knecht instead of James, that doesn’t mean the latter will still be on the team a few months from now.
As CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn recently wrote before Knecht was waived, trading LeBron James‘ son might be the best move for Los Angeles to keep the players they like while also bringing in someone of higher value.
“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.
Additionally, writing for LakeShowLife.com, Tyler Watts believes the Lakers are making a mistake by keeping James on the roster.
“The Los Angeles Lakers kept Bronny James on their roster to open the 2026-27 season, despite having two clear holes to fill. They cut Dalton Knecht to get down to the maximum 15 players, which leaves Bronny as the next to go,” he wrote. “Los Angeles could have cut ties with James and signed a free agent big man like Drew Eubanks or Dwight Powell. They could have also traded Bronny for a creator. Inflation in the center market prevented a trade there, but LA had chances to find upgrades.”
2024:
No. 17 – Dalton Knecht ❌ No. 55 Bronny James – ✅
2023:
No. 17 – Jalen
“James had an abysmal preseason that proved it was time to move on.”
James didn’t show much in the preseason, and while waiving Knecht was always the most likely outcome heading into the new campaign, the young guard doesn’t look like he has a path to becoming an impact player for the Lakers this season.
It’s not to say he doesn’t have a path to having a decent NBA career, but at least where the Los Angeles franchise stands right now, moving on from the 55th pick in the 2024 Draft might be the best move now.
“The Los Angeles Lakers should still be looking to plug holes and should have no qualms about moving on from Bronny James,” Watts added. “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.”
LA’s Young Guard Gets Harsh Reality Check On Roster Status
As it relates to where James stands on the Lakers roster this season, things don’t look great.
As Andy Bailey wrote for Bleacher Report before the team chose him over Knecht, James isn’t expected to play big minutes or have any sort of standout role this year.
“Bronny’s specific role is almost certainly the one he’s had the last couple seasons. He is, at best, a third-stringer. He hasn’t proved worthy of more,” he wrote. “In all likelihood, we’ve spent too much mental energy waiting for James to show up elsewhere—whether as a shooter, passer or ball-handler—when his actual calling card may simply have to be energy.”
The young guard has been given opportunities to prove his value for the Lakers, but as seen with his poor preseason form, he hasn’t necessarily taken advantage of those moments.
Now, with Knecht gone and Jaden Hardy seemingly ahead of him on the depth chart, it only looks bleaker for James in Los Angeles.
“The reality is that James is unlikely to see significant minutes. Dončić, Reaves, Grimes and Sexton can all handle playmaking duties, and mixing and matching the team’s various wing options will likely be a bigger priority than getting James much work in the rotation,” Timothy Rapp added on James’ Lakers outlook.
“While James making the roster over Knecht may feel like a vote of confidence from head coach JJ Redick and the front office, it’s just as likely that the Lakers felt Knecht was no longer a fit and needed a change of scenery.”
Whether or not the Lakers could find someone valuable to get back in a James trade, it doesn’t look like he’ll be a difference-maker on the team this season. Perhaps moving him to a smaller market team to get back a backup big man is the right move, because as things stand now, the Lakers might finally be ready to cut ties with the son of the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
Lakers Poised To Trade Bronny James After Harsh Reality Check