LeBron James and Bronny James have been joint at the hip during their time in the NBA. The father-son duo have known nothing but life on the Los Angeles Lakers thus far. The older of the two could be heading for new horizons in the summer. That leaves the franchise questioning whether Bronny fits with the future plans in Los Angeles.
The younger of the two James has a partially guaranteed contract the Lakers could theoretically save some money on if they were to release him before the deadline on June 29. They might not want to at this point. Bronny's development has been coming along nicely in the G League.
Contrary to what some of his loudest critics will tell you, his spot in the NBA is not being propped up by his father. If there was ever a case for that being the truth, it is becoming more removed from reality with each passing day in James' development.
If the rumor mill proves true, the Lakers intend to remodel the franchise around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves during the summer. The biggest question pertaining to whether Bronny sticks around for that makeover should be how he fits with those two centerpieces of the organization.
Bronny James' growth should allow him to complement Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves
The Lakers will need athleticism, defense, and shooting around the duo of Doncic and Reaves for next season. James confidently ticks the first two boxes with ease. If Los Angeles intends to keep him around for the next iteration of the team, it is the shooting they will need to feel good about translating from the G League to the NBA level.
Bronny has proven capable of stroking the 3-point ball with the South Bay Lakers in 2025-26. Alas, it is not that simple. Not only will James have better defenders closing out on him and challenging those attempts in the NBA, but the way he will be getting them will be different too.
Bronny is afforded a lot more on-ball opportunity in the G League. With Doncic and Reaves at the NBA level, he'll need to be a consistent catch-and-shoot guy. There will be less creating for himself and more positioning to finish off plays from others.
That is where JJ Redick and the Lakers organization will need to trust that James' decision-making has improved. It is one thing to have more offensive flow running through you. It is a another story to make split-second decision every time the ball finds you on the perimeter with a broken defense.
Assuming that aspect is assessed as being where it needs to be, there is a lot of reason to believe Bronny can be a serviceable bench guard next to Doncic and Reaves for the future. That should leave the Lakers with at least one member of the James family still in Los Angeles past this offseason.