Will Bronny James make the Lakers roster? Explain the rookie salary and contract in the 2024-25 NBA season

Bronny James had his fair share of struggles early in his NBA career, but the outlook for the future remains mostly positive.

After being selected 55th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, James experienced ups and downs in two different NBA summer leagues and struggled to find his rhythm in the preseason. With this in mind, many have questioned his standing as an NBA player.

As difficult as this may be for James, his performance is not atypical for a late second-round pick. As pre-season comes to a close, many are wondering whether or not the 20-year-old will survive LA’s final roster cuts ahead of the 2024/25 season.

Here’s a closer look at James’ chances of making the Lakers’ opening night roster for the upcoming NBA season.

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Will Bronny James make the Lakers roster?

James will likely make the Lakers’ roster as a prospect given the nature of his contract and the franchise’s long-term vision for him.

After the draft, James signed a four-year contract with the first two seasons fully guaranteed. It’s highly unlikely that LA would suffer the cap hit that would come with cutting a player with that type of contract guarantee, regardless of his annual salary and cap hit.

Former ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski noted in June that LA plans to develop James during his rookie season with its G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers. These development plans suggest the Lakers are taking a holistic approach to James’ career.

It is on record that James would not accept a two-way contract. So this agreement means James will spend the majority of his time in the G League while he has an NBA contract.

Of course, it helps that his father, LeBron James, remains with the Lakers and is still playing at an All-NBA level. They have the chance to make history by becoming the first father and son to play in an NBA regular season game together.

POSITIONAL RANKING: PG | SG | SF | PF | C

Bronny James contract

James signed a four-year, $7.9 million contract with the Lakers. His contract is fully guaranteed until the 2025/26 season.

The third year of James’ contract becomes fully guaranteed on June 29, 2026. The fourth year of his contract is a team option that becomes fully guaranteed on January 10, 2028.

All salary figures via Spotrac.

season	Salary	Old
2024-25	$1,157,153	20
2025-26	$1,955,377	21
2026-27	$2,296,271 (partial warranty)	22
2027-28	$2,486,995 (team option)	23

MORE BRONNY JAMES: Preseason game log | LeBron is in disbelief after sharing the NBA floor with his son

2024 Lakers roster

James is one of 15 members of the Lakers who have a fully guaranteed standard NBA contract. NBA rules allow teams to carry 15 players on standard contracts and three players on two-way contracts.

During training camp, teams are allowed to have up to 21 players on their roster.

player	Pos.	Salary	Old
LeBron James	F	$48.7 million	39
Anthony Davis	C	$43.2 million	31
D’Angelo Russell	G	$18.7 million	28
Rui Hachimura	F	$17.0 million	26
Austin Reaves	G	$12.9 million	26
Gabe Vincent	G	$11.0 million	28
Jarred Vanderbilt	F	$10.7 million	25
Max Christie	G	$7.1 million	21
Jalen Hood-Schifino	G	$3.9 million	21
Dalton Knecht	F	$3.8 million	23
Christian Wood	C	$3.0 million	29
Jaxson Hayes	C	$2.5 million	24
Cam Reddish	F	$2.5 million	25
Maxwell Lewis	F	$1.9 million	22
Bronny James	G	$1.2 million	20
Colin Castleton	F	Two-sided	24
Christian Koloko	C	Two-sided	24
Armel Traore	G	Two-sided	21
Jordan Goodwin	G	Exhibition 10	26
Kylor Kelly	C	Exhibition 10	27
Quincy Olivari	G	Exhibition 10	23