Bronny James entered the NBA under a biased spotlight no rookie should have to carry. When the Los Angeles Lakers selected him with the No. 55 pick in 2024, reuniting him with his father on the same roster, almost every pundit and critic dismissed the move as a nepotism play rather than a basketball decision. It was a storyline that followed him through a rookie season in which he averaged just 2.3 points off a crowded bench. Two seasons later, however, the conversation around LeBron’s son has flipped entirely.

This time, it has nothing to do with his last name. As you may already know, the Lakers still need to clear at least one more spot from their roster of 16. Interestingly, according to an NBA insider, Dalton Knecht shouldn’t be considered the candidate who’s going to get cut for sure yet, for one reason.

“Other teams have taken notice of James, too,” Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports wrote. “Don’t rule out a Bronny James trade, not because the Lakers are seeking to dump him but because he could bring in draft assets — even a second-rounder or two, which is what James would bring.”

This, by no means, was blind belief. An anonymous rival executive backed Deveney’s report about Bronny, who has recently been speaking about what he’s prioritizing ahead of his third season.

“There’s definitely interest there,” the rival executive told Deveney. “He’s gotten much better in a short period. He knows his role, and it’s hard to find young guys who just want to excel in their role.”

Deveney was careful to frame the context correctly, noting that teams were interested in Bronny not only because he is a Hall of Famer’s son but because he is a 3-and-D point guard who can defend a few positions, knock down shots, and run the offense. If the former were actually a thing, Bronny would be wearing the Philadelphia 76ers jersey by now.

The timing matters.

This is Bronny’s first season without his father as a teammate. At media day, the youngster said he was ready to prove himself as “Bronny instead of LeBron” and called it his biggest motivating factor. He now wants to focus on creating his own path and career and is also curious to see how the LA staff treats him.

Bizarrely, Bronny is the third longest-tenured player on the Lakers roster, behind only Austin Reaves and Jarred Vanderbilt. It only shows how much the Lakers have chopped and changed over the past offseason. Bronny joked that Reaves has started calling him a “vet” these days, but he also realizes he needs to act like one.

“That’s what a point guard is, you’ve got to be talking to your guys, got to be helping people get to where they need to be,” Bronny said. “I take pride in that, for sure. If anyone goes out, God forbid anyone goes out, I’ve got to be the guy to step up and be the primary ballhandler, and get my guys in the right spots. So, yeah, I’ve definitely got to lock in on that.”

Bronny didn’t post big numbers last season, but he was solid on defense when needed. He averaged nearly three points per game across 42 regular-season games, shooting 40.9 percent from the field. Then, he scored 2.9 points on 40.9 percent shooting across eight games in the postseason.

The Lakers, for their part, have reportedly indicated they want to keep developing Bronny for now. According to Lakers beat writer Khobi Price, this decision has nothing to do with whether his dad, LeBron, is there or not. That’s also why LA guaranteed the $2.3 million remaining on his contract for the 2026-27 season.

However, the Lakers still have a roster crunch to resolve. They have 16 players on guaranteed contracts for 15 standard roster spots, and Knecht remains the most likely cut or trade chip given his inconsistent fit in LA. The newly acquired Jaden Hardy could also be on the chopping block.

General manager Rob Pelinka clarified earlier this month that the team hadn’t decided on anything yet, with everything hinging on how training camp goes.

ClutchPoints reported that the Lakers were sniffing around Buddy Hield for a “2-for-1” move but ultimately decided against it. Even Pelinka hinted at consolidation trades and said there were a “number of ways” to address the question mark on the roster.

Bronny’s averages from games played to minutes per game to even assists have all shown a steady uptick from his first to his second season. So, if he moves at all, it would be because someone finally views him as a legitimate asset rather than a star storyline.

But no one’s linked to him yet. There’s one good fit, though. The Houston Rockets have proven to be a strong developmental unit investing heavily in a young core of Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., Reed Sheppard and Tari Eason. Further, learning from the returning Fred VanVleet and a strong defensive coaching staff will also benefit LeBron’s son.

Wherever Bronny goes, or even if he remains put at the Lakers, he needs to prove he is worth more than just a 10-minute-per-night rotation player. Even if the Lakers don’t trade him, they still need to decide what to do with his team option, worth $2.4 million for the 2027-28 season.

So, for sure, next season’s going to be a big one for Bronny.