The future of Bronny James with the Los Angeles Lakers remains uncertain, with the team not guaranteed to trade him to the same franchise his father, LeBron James, eventually joins. LeBron James announced in late June that he would not return to the Lakers for the 2026-27 season, sparking speculation about his son's next steps.
While a reunion of father and son on the same NBA roster for the 2026-27 season is possible, the Lakers organization is also considering retaining Bronny. Sources indicate a real possibility that the Lakers will keep Bronny on their roster for the upcoming season as they navigate league roster compliance rules ahead of Opening Night in October. The Athletic has previously reported that assumptions of Bronny and LeBron being linked moving forward are not necessarily accurate.
Since being drafted by the Lakers with the No. 55 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, making them the first father-son duo in league history, the Lakers have worked on developing the 6-foot-2 guard. Bronny has shown improvement as a shooter with defensive potential. He spent considerable time with the Lakers' G League affiliate, the Coachella Valley Lakers, during his rookie and sophomore seasons. His performance saw significant gains in his second year, with his field goal percentage rising to 50.5% from 41.9%, his 3-point percentage improving to 37.6% from 33.6%, and his assist-to-turnover ratio increasing.
Bronny played in 42 regular season games for the Lakers during the 2025-26 season, becoming a regular rotation player after injuries to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. In the final 10 games of the regular season, he averaged 5.6 points and shot 35.7% from three-point range. He also participated in eight of the Lakers' 10 playoff games, notably scoring 10 consecutive points with LeBron in the second quarter of a Game 3 victory over the Rockets.
The Lakers guaranteed Bronny's $2.3 million salary for the 2026-27 season by keeping him on the roster after the June 29 deadline. He also has a team option for $2.5 million in the 2027-28 season, with that salary not becoming fully guaranteed until January 10, 2028.
If Bronny remains with the Lakers for the upcoming season, he is expected to contend for reserve backcourt minutes against new acquisition Collin Sexton, rookie Cameron Carr, and recently acquired Jaden Hardy. Any team looking to acquire Bronny in a trade would likely need to offer the Lakers a valuable asset in return. Bronny is reportedly well-regarded throughout the Lakers organization.