{"id":856231,"date":"2026-08-15T14:24:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-15T14:24:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/856231\/"},"modified":"2026-08-15T14:24:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T14:24:10","slug":"proposed-trade-has-lakers-cut-ties-with-bronny-james-for-rising-big-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/856231\/","title":{"rendered":"Proposed Trade Has Lakers Cut Ties With Bronny James for Rising Big Man"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"2025\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JULY 12: Bronny James #9 of the Los Angeles Lakers walks on the court during a break in the second half of a 2025 NBA Summer League game against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 12, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ethan Miller\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

The Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> remain on the hunt for a reliable frontcourt addition as they look to further improve their roster.<\/p>\n

The front office, to its credit, has addressed other key needs, but the team\u2019s frontcourt remains largely unsettled following key departures.<\/p>\n

There have been several links and speculations on the right fit or target but nothing has come of it yet. The main idea is not just to add a reliable player but a starting-caliber one alongside the core of Luka Doncic<\/a> and Austin Reaves<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In a proposed three-team framework involving the Cleveland Cavaliers<\/a> and Chicago Bulls<\/a>, the Lakers would land a frontcourt star.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cavaliers receive: Norman Powell<\/a><\/p>\n

Bulls receive: Jarrett Allen<\/a>, Craig Porter Jr., Dalton Knecht<\/a> and Bronny James<\/a><\/p>\n

Lakers receive: Jalen Smith<\/a><\/p>\n

Smith\u2019s name has come up in recent weeks with mostly speculation, as the Lakers are also reportedly in the market for Jonathan Kuminga<\/a>. However, there is also reportedly a gap in salary valuation and structure to bring in the forward who is an unrestricted free agent.<\/p>\n

Lakers Multi-Team Bronny James Trade Lands Frontcourt Addition
\n\"Chicago<\/p>\n

GettyNEW YORK, NEW YORK \u2013 JANUARY 16: Jalen Smith #25 of the Chicago Bulls in action during the game against the Brooklyn Nets<\/a> at Barclays Center on January 16, 2026 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The Brooklyn Nets won 112-109. (Photo by Ishika Samant\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

The Lakers would be moving James and Knecht in this proposal as they aim to free up more roster spots and bring in impact pieces.<\/p>\n

Both young stars have had their names come up in various trade rumors and speculations as they are currently two of the few tradable chips for L.A. They are both on small deals and would be easily taken into any cap space.<\/p>\n

James and Knecht\u2019s outgoing deal would create enough opening to fit Smith, who is also on a less-significant deal with Chicago. He is owed roughly $9.4 million for the 2026-27 season and, while slightly larger than the two outgoing deals combined, it would be within the tax space.<\/p>\n

The Lakers would not be the main players in this framework as the Bulls and Cavs move more significant pieces. Powell and Allen would switch places with the Bulls taking the much larger salaries in return. As such, Smith\u2019s deal helps ease off cap space.<\/p>\n

The Cavs would also re-sign veteran star James Harden<\/a> to a new contract in the range of a two-year agreement worth $82.6 million.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Getting Smith as a High-Impact Addition<\/p>\n

Smith is not as high-profile as Kuminga but offers dependability at a much cheaper price. At 26 years old, he would also be arriving at his athletic prime, which is an added advantage for any long-term deal.<\/p>\n

Smith has played the last two seasons with the Bulls and has started 21 of 53 games last season. He averaged 10.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. Production-wise, he offers solid rebounding presence and defensive cover in the wings.<\/p>\n

By no means the most elite of defenders but his frontcourt presence could complement an offense led by Doncic. Whether he would be the perfect fit for a championship push is up for debate. Compared to Kuminga, Smith has had no extended playing experience alongside championship-level stars.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He did reach the NBA<\/a> Finals in his rookie year like Kuminga but played just single digit minutes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tAdel Ahmad<\/a> Adel is a writer with over five years of experience covering the NBA. His work has appeared on various media platforms, both national and local. More about Adel Ahmad<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JULY 12: Bronny James #9 of the Los Angeles Lakers walks on the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":856232,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[574],"tags":[64,63,726,85],"class_list":["post-856231","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-basketball","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-basketball","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/856231","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=856231"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/856231\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/856232"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=856231"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=856231"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=856231"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}