As the NBA offseason heats up, the Los Angeles Lakers find themselves at a pivotal crossroadsl; not just with their franchise icon LeBron James, but also with his son, Bronny James. With trade rumors surrounding LeBron gaining traction, questions are mounting about whether Bronny’s place on the roster is as secure as it once seemed.
The Lakers made history last season by drafting Bronny with the 55th overall pick, creating the league’s first-ever father-son duo. While the move was widely seen as a gesture to honor LeBron’s long-stated desire to play alongside his son, it also came with basketball upside. Bronny showed flashes of promise during his rookie campaign, particularly in the G League and in a 17-point performance against the Milwaukee Bucks in March.
But now, with LeBron reportedly evaluating his future and potentially open to a trade, Bronny’s role in the Lakers’ long-term plans is less clear. According to Lakers insider Jovan Buha, while Bronny is under a guaranteed two-year contract, his fate may still be tied to his father’s.
“I would assume he’s probably going with LeBron somewhere,” Buha said on his podcast, “but I don’t think that’s a guarantee for sure”.
Bronny, for his part, is trying to stay focused. Speaking after a Summer League practice this week, he told reporters that he’s tuning out the noise.
“I don’t really pay attention to that stuff,” he said. “When stuff like that does come up, [LeBron] just tells me to not worry about it, not even pay attention to it. Just lock in to what you have going on right now”.
Still, the speculation is hard to ignore. LeBron recently opted into his $52.6 million player option for the 2025–26 season, but his agent Rich Paul has made it clear that the 40-year-old superstar is closely monitoring the Lakers’ offseason moves. If the team fails to build a contender around Luka Dončić and Deandre Ayton, LeBron could request a trade, something he’s never done in his career, but which now feels increasingly plausible.
Should LeBron depart, the Lakers would face a delicate decision: keep Bronny as a developmental piece, or move him as part of a larger deal. While his contract is modest and guaranteed, his presence on the roster has always been more than just basketball, it’s been symbolic.
