Although Austin Reaves is undoubtedly the Los Angeles Lakers’ most valuable trade chip this season, there are other assets the franchise could use to improve its roster.
Lake Show Life’s Tyler Watts thinks that moving on from the son of the organization’s four-time NBA champion forward could help it address its noticeable flaws.
“Lakers have to move on from Bronny James before the trade deadline,” Watts wrote Sunday. “ Bronny won’t have immense trade value, but the Lakers need depth and perimeter defense.”
“Their cap situation makes things difficult. Rob Pelinka has to get creative. LA has several expiring contracts and needs to upgrade several roster spots to become a legitimate threat in the loaded Western Conference.”
“The Lakers should have already moved on from Bronny. They waived Jordan Goodwin in the offseason to keep James and Dalton Knecht. The youngsters are not part of the rotation and are not making an impact as Goodwin is thriving on the surprisingly competitive Suns.”
James hasn’t played remotely well enough to earn a respectable role with the Lakers early in his career.
James, whose father, LeBron, is arguably the best player of all time, was selected by the Lakers with the No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft and hasn’t exhibited much promise thus far.
The USC product is an engaged defender who can hold his own on the perimeter and in the low post. However, James is limited offensively, as his horrid three-point shooting and playmaking chops have been below average, to put it mildly.
James is averaging 1.9 points and 0.9 assists for his career, shooting 31.8% from the field and 30.2% from deep in 51 outings.
Considering James’ future isn’t terribly bright as a Laker, it would be wise for Los Angeles to part ways with him this season.
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