Lakers urged to trade Bronny James before it's too late
Bronny James remains in the spotlight as trade rumors grow, with some analysts urging the Lakers to move him before his value declines.
B ronny James began the 2026-27 season with a secured spot on the Los Angeles Laker s roster, but his future with the franchise is once again surrounded by uncertainty. After surviving the preseason cuts, the 21-year-old guard has been repeatedly linked to trade rumors due to his limited playing time at the start of the NBA season.
In recent weeks, several reports have indicated that various franchises still view Bronny as a project with potential, while the Lakers could use him as a trade chip to address one of their biggest weaknesses: the frontcourt.
Although James retains some market value, his quiet start to the campaign could accelerate discussions. The Los Angeles organization would be willing to listen to offers if it means adding a power forward or center to strengthen a roster with championship aspirations.
So far, Bronny has played just seven minutes across the first three games of the season and has scored only two points.
Bronny James emerges as a possible trade piece
Before Dalton Knecht became the final player cut from the roster, there was a chance that Bronny James would be the one sacrificed. However, the Lakers decided to keep LeBron James ’ son, a decision that continues to generate mixed opinions.
“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,” Sam Quinn of CBS Sports wrote in a post on X.
The analyst also questioned the young guard’s development.
“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, ” Quinn added.
With Dalton Knecht now with the New York Knicks , Bronny appears as one of Los Angeles’ most movable assets heading into the trade deadline.
Along the same lines, Tyler Watts believes the Lakers’ priority should be strengthening the roster, even if that means moving on from the young guard.
“The Los Angeles Lakers should still be looking to plug holes and should have no qualms about moving on from Bronny James.”
The big dilemma for the franchise is that, while several teams continue to see potential in Bronny, increasing his trade value would require giving him more minutes — something difficult to justify on a team looking to compete and with more established players ahead of him in the rotation.
Bronny still can’t find a place in the rotation
In the first three games of the season,Bronny still can’t find a place in the rotation has only seen action in one.
He played seven minutes in the season-opening win over the Bronny still can’t find a place in the rotation, where he scored two points on 1-of-1 shooting, while also recording two personal fouls and one turnover.
Since then, he has not returned to the court in the victories against the Los Angeles Clippers and Utah Jazz . The return of backup point guard Collin Sexton has also reduced opportunities for players at the end of the bench, including Jaden Hardy .
The statistics also fail to show significant growth compared to his first two seasons. As a rookie he averaged 2.3 points, 0.7 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 27 games, while last year he posted 2.9 points, 0.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 42 contests.
For now, Bronny James continues without establishing himself as an important piece in the Lakers’ basketball project — a situation that only fuels speculation about a possible trade as the transfer market deadline approaches.
