The Lakers are a month out from opening the 2026-27 season, and the pressure is already building around the roster.
Los Angeles opens on Oct. 21 against Stephen Curry and the visiting Golden State Warriors at Crypto.com Arena, and before that first tip, the team still has a full stretch of business to handle. Media day is coming.
Training camp begins on Sept. 29.
Five preseason games are on the schedule. And somewhere in that run, the Lakers have to trim the roster to the league maximum of 15 players.
That leaves a handful of names fighting for position, and Bronny James is one of them.
The third-year guard recently flashed his athleticism with a dunk in a gym ahead of camp, a reminder that, like his father, LeBron James, he brings bounce even if he doesn’t have LeBron’s 6’8” frame. At 6’1”, Bronny is working from a different physical profile, but the explosion is still there.
This season will also mark the first time Bronny plays in the NBA without LeBron on the Lakers’ roster. LeBron left Los Angeles in free agency this summer and signed with the Philadelphia 76ers after eight seasons with the franchise.
That change has fueled plenty of speculation about Bronny’s future in Los Angeles. Still, there have been reports that the coaching staff is quite fond of the USC product.
The Lakers, though, have decisions to make. Bronny is among several players who could be moved out as the team gets down to 15, along with Jaden Hardy, Dalton Knecht and Jarred Vanderbilt.
There’s also a larger roster puzzle at play. The Lakers have been trying to make another trade or two before the season starts, with an eye on adding another big man. They’re thin up front behind Walker Kessler and Kevon Looney, and that frontcourt depth issue sits right alongside the need to clear the roster down to size.
With the roster deadline tied to the Oct. 21 opener, the next few weeks are going to be all about proving it in camp and preseason. Everyone on the bubble is chasing the same thing: a spot that lasts beyond the final cut.
In Other News...
Kwame Brown Just Dragged LeBron Into Lakers' Dalton Knecht Debate
Dalton Knechts rookie season has already become part of a much bigger Lakers conversation, and Kwame Brown helped push it into a familiar place this week. During an appearance on The Basketball Show, Brown took aim at LeBron James while arguing that James presence in the organization, especially because of Bronny James, hurt Knechts development with Los Angeles. The debate has quickly turned into more than a simple look at a young players role, because it now sits at the intersection of roster construction, family ties and how the Lakers managed a first-year wing who entered the season with some real expectations.
The numbers that get tossed around in the discussion do show different playing-time paths for Knecht and Bronny, but they do not prove favoritism or reveal why the coaching staff made any specific decision. Browns comments are best understood as opinion rather than evidence, though they are the kind of remark that keeps a Lakers topic alive long after the game action has moved on. For a team that is always under a microscope, even a development question involving one young player can quickly become another referendum on LeBron, and this one is clearly not going away quietly. [Read more 🡒]
LeBrons New Move Reignited A Debate Lakers Fans Know Too Well
Kwame Brown has never been shy about offering a sharp opinion, and his latest comments on "The Basketball Show HQ" took aim at LeBron James in a way that is familiar to Lakers fans. Brown accused James of having a negative effect on the careers of several NBA players, including Russell Westbrook, while also widening the conversation beyond Los Angeles by bringing up possible ripple effects for players on the Philadelphia 76ers.
The claims were presented as Browns view rather than established fact, and they landed in a space where LeBron discourse rarely stays quiet for long. For Lakers followers, though, the familiar part is the debate itself, because any criticism tied to James tends to reopen old questions about roster fit, expectations, and the burden that comes with playing alongside one of the leagues defining stars. [Read more 🡒]
Former Hawks Guard Gabe Vincent Is Still Waiting For The Right NBA Shot
Gabe Vincent is still on the market as the calendar turns toward the 2026-27 NBA season, and the veteran guard is making it clear he is not simply looking for the first camp invitation that comes along. After a recent stretch shaped by injuries and uneven roles, Vincent is weighing fit and opportunity as much as name value, a sensible approach for a player trying to re-establish a steadier foothold in the league.
The Knicks have reportedly put him in the mix, but their roster logjam and financial limitations make it difficult to promise much beyond a competition for a spot. Vincent has apparently passed on that arrangement, choosing to wait for a more secure path to minutes, which leaves his next move unresolved even as teams continue sorting out their backcourt plans. [Read more 🡒]