The 2026 offseason will bring the first pivotal crossroads moment of Bronny James' young NBA career. It is important for the Los Angeles Lakers to choose the right path when they hit that point of the summer.
All the chatter has been heard loud and clear: the Lakers want to retool and improve the roster around Luka Doncic. That should mean no stone unturned. Los Angeles have positioned themselves to have very few players under contract ahead of the offseason, but even those still occupying a spot on the roster should not feel safe.
Take Bronny as a prime example of that. Particularly with him, the Lakers set themselves up to have an opportunity to cut ties in this offseason, should they feel the need. James' $2.3 million for 2026-27 is only partially guaranteed at 1.3 million.
If the Lakers need to, they could save money and release Bronny into free agency. Doing so, however, could quickly prove to be the wrong decision for the long-term plans in Los Angeles.
Lakers would be foolish to give up on Bronny James experiment now
James made real strides with the Lakers during the 2025-26 season. Bronny was dominating with the South Bay Lakers so much that JJ Redick gave him a real shot with Los Angeles after the injuries to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
When extended that opportunity, Bronny delivered. The young Lakers guard sealed up a spot in the playoff rotation for Redick's team up until the point of Reaves' return to the lineup.
There were some encouraging moments during that run, highlighted by James outscoring the entire Houston Rockets bench in Game 3 of that series. That alley-oop caught from father LeBron James will be a play that is sure to be featured on his dad's career video package.
That brings us to the main reason as to why the Lakers may consider moving on from Bronny. If LeBron leaves Los Angeles during the summer, would the franchise be inclined to part ways with his soon too?
It sure does not seem like a coincidence that the younger James' had his contract structured for a release in the same offseason that his father could leave. That move feels tactful.
They could waive him, but that would be a waste to the two seasons of work they put into helping Bronny develop. James is NBA-ready by several standards. The real improvements the Lakers are waiting on are a tighter handle and quick decision-making on his catch-and-shoot opportunities. However, the 21-year-old is undoubtedly flirting with being a rotation-caliber player in 2026-27.
Considering the low financial commitment to James, it is worth seeing that out to its end. Letting Bronny go in a scenario where his father departs would be completely wasteful of the improvements that have been clear as day over the last two seasons.
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