The Lakers still have a roster puzzle to solve, and Bronny James has landed in the middle of it.
Los Angeles finished with one too many players for the upcoming season, which leaves the front office with a simple task and a tricky choice: make a trade or waive someone. The team is moving into the Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves era, but it still has to trim the roster down to 15 players.
“Clearly, the Lakers need to dump someone, and I think it's going to be one of three players," Lakers insider Jovan Buha said. "It's going to either be Dalton Knecht, Jaden Hardy, or Bronny James."
Bronny has been a name to watch for a while now, especially after LeBron James left in free agency. The younger James could be used as part of a deal that helps Los Angeles clear space while bringing in a player who can actually help the rotation.
“It is still unclear whether the Lakers view Bronny as a potential long-term piece. With the franchise still looking to round out the roster around superstar point guard Luka Doncic, Bronny could be involved in a trade," Heavy.com's Adel Ahmad wrote.
Ahmad went a step further and laid out a four-team proposal that would send Bronny to the New York Knicks and bring Malik Monk back to Los Angeles. In the deal, the Lakers would receive Monk plus the 2030 second-round pick via the Knicks and the 2031 second-round pick via the Detroit Pistons.
The Knicks would land Bronny James. The Kings would get Jaden Hardy, Dalton Knecht, the 2030 second-round pick via the Lakers, and the 2031 second-round pick via the Lakers.
The Pistons would receive Jarred Vanderbilt and Miles McBride.
“Lakers receive: Malik Monk, 2030 second round pick (via NYK), 2031 second round pick (via DET). Knicks receive: Bronny James.
Kings receive: Jaden Hardy, Dalton Knecht, 2030 second round pick (via LAL), 2031 second round pick (via LAL). Pistons receive: Jarred Vanderbilt, Miles McBride,” wrote Ahmed.
For the Lakers, the appeal is obvious. Monk would give them the kind of scoring punch and offensive juice they can use off the bench, especially with Doncic and Reaves driving the attack. He was a real contributor during his time in Los Angeles and played a key role in the Lakers’ playoff win over the Golden State Warriors a few years ago.
Monk is now on a $77 million contract with the Kings, but his Lakers stint helped revive his career. A return to Los Angeles could work for both sides, with Monk adding shooting and scoring depth as another weapon around Doncic and Reaves.
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