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The Los Angeles Lakers made a signing early Sunday that many may have missed.
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The 17-time NBA champions signed a 6-foot-4 guard who excelled with the South Bay Lakers, the Los Angeles G League affiliate.
Tyler Watts of Lake Show Life believes the addition of Bufkin “almost guarantees” the Lakers will cut ties with the controversial 6-foot-2 former second-round pick come the offseason.
“The signing of Kobe Bufkin all but guarantees Bronny James’ departure this offseason,” Watts wrote Sunday.
“Bufkin’s two-year contract includes a team option, so the Lakers can move forward quickly. The 6-foot-4 guard has a chance to prove he belongs the rest of the season, but his performance will not affect Bronny.”
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“Los Angeles would love to sign an outside linebacker and replace young James with him. They’ve done that twice this season, and Bronny gives the Lakers no reason to think otherwise.”
Entering the 2024-25 season, James has been surrounded by controversy. The USC product didn’t impress in his lone season with the Trojans. Despite this, the Lakers selected him with the 55th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft (James made history with his father, LeBron, on his opening night, becoming the first father-son duo to compete on the same court in the major leagues).
James has struggled so far in Los Angeles, averaging 2.1 points and 0.9 assists in 54 games while shooting 34.5% from the field and 32.1% from distance.
The 21-year-old shouldn’t be surprised if the Lakers choose to move on from James this summer. Two consecutive poor seasons won’t convince a contending team like the Lakers to keep him around long-term.
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If James doesn’t change the script quickly, lackluster playmaking and outside shooting will lead to his demise in Los Angeles.
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