Bronny James Dodges Lakers Trade Talks as Rob Pelinka Pulls Plug on Fellow 2024 Draft Pick

As of the time of this writing, we are one day away from NBA Opening Night. Having that in mind, Monday is the last day for teams around the league to finalize their rosters for the regular season.

Apparently, the Los Angeles Lakers have already finalized theirs after a shocking move by general manager Rob Pelinka. NBA insider Shams Charania reported on X that Dalton Knecht has been waived by the Lakers.

"The Los Angeles Lakers are waiving 2024 No. 17 pick Dalton Knecht, sources tell ESPN," Charania wrote.

With Knecht out of the picture, the Lakers now have exactly 15 players on their roster. To everyone's surprise, Pelinka chose to keep Bronny James over Knecht. There were rumors that Bronny would be the player the Lakers let go of because his father, LeBron James, was no longer running the show.

Other sources reported that Pelinka decided to roll with Bronny over Dalton because of the potential he sees in him. Lakers head coach JJ Redick recently praised James' work ethic during practice and acknowledged his athleticism on the hardwood. Compared to Knecht, James' potential is something that Redick can work with.

While Bronny remains a Laker for now, there have been rumors of him getting traded this season. Plenty of teams around the league have surprisingly expressed interest in the young James because of the potential they see in him to flourish as an effective role player.

Bronny, while he may not be a star-caliber player like his father, LeBron, still has all the tools to become a key player for a team he plays for. The young James has the passing ability of a true point guard and has a body strong enough to battle through traffic when opponents begin swarming him on defense, despite his size disadvantage.

Having all those qualities in mind, it shouldn't be surprising how other NBA teams would love to have them on their squads.

Bronny James Sets Expectations For Himself This Season

Bronny James is set to enter his third NBA season on Wednesday against the Golden State Warriors in the Los Angeles Lakers' game opener. Looking at Bronny's first couple of seasons, he didn't meet everyone's expectations as the son of LeBron James. Many expected great things from him, hoping that he would play like his father.

While his failure to live up to those standards has surrounded the young James with negativity, he seems to be unfazed by his situation. During the Lakers' Media Day, Bronny set everyone's expectations for him and mentioned that he doesn't intend to play like his dad. Instead, he'd rather carve his own path and make people remember him as Bronny and not LeBron.

"You guys know me as Bronny," James said in a press conference. "My real name is LeBron. I've been doing this for however long, so I think it's a motivating factor for me just getting up every day and trying to prove myself as Bronny instead of LeBron."

With LeBron no longer with the Lakers, it'll be interesting to see how differently Bronny will play on the hardwood. There's a narrative speculating that Bronny might've been held back because of the pressure of playing next to his father. Maybe with the senior James out of the picture, the younger James could flourish and showcase his true abilities on the floor. For now, everything remains to be seen.