There are still traces of LeBron James lingering over the Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic-centric rebuild. After over $250 million worth of signings, Rob Pelinka is on the hunt to fill the glaring perimeter gaps around the Luka Doncic-Austin Reaves core. Quentin Grimes is the newest backup to fill the void. But the Lakers are reportedly pursuing Jonathan Kuminga and Ziaire Williams, too. Yet, the fix might be closer to home than most realize.

Appearing on ESPN LA’s Sedano and Kap, senior NBA insider Tim MacMahon agreed with co-host Jorge Sedano’s assessment that the Lakers are “at least a player short, if not two,” even after filling their frontcourt vacancy with Walker Kessler and Kevon Looney. MacMahon expressed severe concern over the team’s lack of length and athleticism on the outside.

“I’m not kidding when I say, who is their best perimeter defender? It might be Bronny James, right?” MacMahon stated.

“I mean, if you say Quentin Grimes, Quentin Grimes is an okay defensive player. Like, he’s not… if Quentin Grimes’s job is going to be, ‘Hey, you guard the other team’s best player one through four every single night,’ that’s far less than ideal. And so I agree with you that, like, they really, they’re not a contender-caliber roster right now. I’m not sure if the roster is better than it was last year.”

MacMahon noted that while the Lakers successfully “got off LeBron in order to get guys who could be part of the long term,” the roster is far from complete. Doncic and Reaves’ perimeter strategy is completely offensive-driven. While that won regular-season games, postseason demands a defensive stopper.

It’s a problem the Lakers recognize. Pelinka’s office was reportedly in talks with the Atlanta Hawks to frame a sign-and-trade for Jonathan Kuminga. However, the former Warriors forward upped his asking price to $25 million, a steep price for what the Lakers are willing to offer.

So they turned their sights on Ziaire Wiliams. The Brooklyn Nets just turned down his $6.2 million option, making him a cost-effective alternative for the starting wing.

However, MacMahon hints that the Lakers need not cast a wide net. They just guaranteed Bronny James his $2.3 million salary for the 2025-26 season shortly before his dad officially left the team for free agency.

While the notion of LeBron James’ 21-year-old son anchoring a perimeter defense may alarm critics, the Lakers’ front office has doubled down on his legitimate physical tools by opting not to waive Bronny before the June deadline.

Critics cite his limited minutes and lack of scoring as drawbacks. But an eye test and raw physical measurements tell a far more encouraging story than the Lakers are invested in.

Bronny possesses a highly functional 6’7″ wingspan and a 40.5-inch maximum vertical leap that allow him to play much larger than his listed height. This natural athleticism worked well during his developmental assignments in the G League. In 25 career appearances for the South Bay Lakers, his physical leverage translated into an average of 1.5 steals per game and impressive transition defense.

During a hard-fought 137-130 victory against the Indiana Pacers in March, Bronny’s hustle gave the Lakers a crucial advantage. He recorded two crucial steals and a block in just 13 minutes of action, leaving Doncic in awe. Following that performance, head coach JJ Redick had heavy praise for his growth.

“It was a game where his athleticism and defense stood out—he had two really good individual defensive possessions in the first half,” Redick said.

 If the Lakers are to survive the grueling Western Conference perimeter matchups without further roster additions, they will need to rely heavily on cultivating Bronny’s less glamorous defensive instincts.