The Lakers don’t sound eager to treat Bronny James like a throw-in, even if LeBron James takes his next contract somewhere else.
That’s the shift coming out of Los Angeles, where the old assumption around Bronny’s future is starting to fade. For weeks, plenty around the NBA have operated under the idea that if LeBron signs with a new team, Bronny would be right behind him. But Lakers insider Khobi Price says the organization isn’t looking at it that way anymore.
Speaking on 97.1 The Fan, Price said the Lakers have become more confident in the 20-year-old guard after two years in their system. He also pointed to Dalton Knecht and Jaden Hardy as players whose contract situations make them more likely trade candidates than Bronny.
“It would take something real for the Lakers to want to trade Bronny. They developed him, they're a fan of him, and he has A LOT of supporters in the building,” Price said.
That’s a different tone from the one that followed Bronny when the Lakers drafted him shortly after signing LeBron to a new contract in 2024. Back then, the easy read was that he was there because of his father, and that he’d be the obvious piece to move if LeBron left. Price’s comments suggest the Lakers have moved well past that.
Bronny is also being handled like a player the team wants to keep building, not just parking on the bench next to his dad. The Lakers are sending him to the G League for regular minutes, a sign they see him as a development project with a future, not a one-note roster spot.
His second NBA season gave them a few reasons to keep investing. Bronny averaged 2.9 points, 1.2 assists and 0.5 steals in 8.9 minutes per game, while shooting 38.6 percent from 3-point range.
Price also said that even a second-round pick coming back in a deal after LeBron signs elsewhere would not automatically be enough to get Bronny out the door. The Lakers, he said, are comfortable keeping him on the roster.
For now, the message is clear: if another team wants to reunite the James family, it’s going to take more than the assumption that Bronny is available. The Lakers appear to believe they’ve already put real work into him, and they’re not about to give that away cheaply.
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