Arthur Hill Hosts 1 NBA Live Chat on Bulls, Lakers and Warriors

Q: With a roster spot at stake, will the Lakers trade Bronny James despite guaranteeing his $2.3 million contract and his improved play?

Probably not, though he remains a plausible trade piece because the Lakers must clear a roster spot. Arthur Hill’s chat and the related reporting point in the same direction: the Lakers want to keep Bronny James. They guaranteed his $2.3 million salary and, according to league sources, value him beyond his connection to LeBron James. His play has improved, with strong G League scoring, better three-point shooting, progress as a secondary playmaker, and defensive activity that fits a low-usage role. He is also described as well-liked internally. The pressure comes from roster math, not dissatisfaction. After adding Matisse Thybulle, the Lakers are at 16 guaranteed contracts and must get to 15 before the regular season. That makes any back-end roster player vulnerable, and Bronny’s small salary could make him easier to move in a trade than a larger contract. Still, the available reporting does not indicate that the Lakers are actively trying to trade him. Other players, including Dalton Knecht, Jaden Hardy and possibly Jarred Vanderbilt, have also been mentioned as ways to solve the crunch or facilitate a larger move such as a Jonathan Kuminga pursuit. So the most evidence-based answer is that a Bronny trade is possible, but not the likeliest outcome right now. The Lakers appear more inclined to keep him unless he becomes the cleanest way to complete another deal or trim the roster.

Q: Why did the Bulls pay Jaden Ivey $10 million to waive him just two months after acquiring him in their 'tear down'?

The most likely answer is that the Bulls didn’t waive him for basketball reasons alone; they ate the money because his contract was guaranteed and they decided keeping him was no longer worth the roster, reputational, or organizational cost. Arthur Hill’s chat frames the move as one of several baffling Bulls decisions during their supposed rebuild. The additional reporting points to “unspecified issues” and, more specifically, to off-court conduct that became a problem for the team. Multiple accounts say Ivey was waived after social-media broadcasts that drew internal concern and were viewed as conflicting with the franchise’s workplace and public-facing standards. In that scenario, once Chicago decided it no longer wanted him around, the guaranteed salary still had to be paid. That is the key financial point: in the NBA, waiving a player does not erase guaranteed money. If Ivey’s deal was fully guaranteed at roughly $10 million, the Bulls remained on the hook even after cutting him. So the question is less why they “paid $10 million to waive him” than why they acquired him without fully anticipating the risk. That is why the move has been criticized. In a teardown, teams usually use cap space and roster spots to collect assets or develop players. Instead, Chicago appears to have taken on Ivey, then quickly decided the fit was untenable, turning the transaction into a sunk cost with no evident long-term benefit.

1 articles · Updated · hoopsrumors.com · Jul 16

Arthur Hill held a subscriber-only Hoops Rumors live chat focused on offseason NBA decisions and player pursuits across several teams.
The discussion highlighted the Bulls' questionable moves beyond Caleb Wilson, the Lakers' pursuit of Jonathan Kuminga and their desire to keep Bronny James.
Detroit's failure to add another scorer and playmaker alongside Cade Cunningham also drew scrutiny, while Hill examined the Warriors' chances of landing LeBron James.
The session was available exclusively to Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers, framing it as a member-focused rundown of current NBA roster questions.