In a Los Angeles Lakers news cycle that has been dominated by the idea of LeBron James joining the Golden State Warriors, another member of the James family got clarity on his immediate future. The Lakers gave no indication that Bronny James would not be a member of the team moving forward.
June 29 was an important date for the younger James. 5 p.m. ET was the deadline for the Lakers to waive Bronny if they wanted to save money on his contract. As soon as that time passed, his deal for the 2026-27 season became fully guaranteed. That was exactly the case.
Entering the day, only around $1.3 million of James' (rounded up) $2.3 million were guaranteed. The Lakers could have saved themselves a little bit over $1 million in cap space by releasing Bronny into free agency.
There were those who believed the Lakers' latest moves signaled the end of his time in Los Angeles. Perhaps there was an UDFA who would be better-fitted to the roster spot that James occupied. Instead, the Lakers stood their ground and made the call to keep Bronny around.
Bronny James can build a Lakers future that has nothing to do with LeBron James
Many will argue that Bronny got a spot on the Lakers because of LeBron. Even if that is being admitted as the truth, holding that up as the continued case is just simply not true.
The Lakers have not found a ton of success in the NBA Draft over the last few years. Misses like Jalen Hood-Schifino and Dalton Knecht still haunt them to this day. Bronny is a clear success story by contrast.
The 55th overall pick in the NBA Draft is not expected to amount to much. James has already exceeded expectations by sticking around in the league and developing in the G League into a player who has found his way onto the court for playoff minutes that were not garbage time.
There was no real reason for the Lakers to give up on Bronny this early. The young guard has been a successful story of continued growth for the franchise. At the least, temporarily ensuring a spot for him in the immediate future was more than fair.
If LeBron does depart from the Lakers, they could opt to recoup value for Bronny by sending him to wherever his dad ends up signing. Even in that instance, Los Angeles should be capable of at least replenishing some level of second-round draft capital for him.
They do not owe LeBron that move, though. If they want to, they can keep gambling on the Bronny development experience and see where it takes them. Right now, that is more than a worthwhile bet to make.
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