Kwame Brown says Lakers should cut Bronny, bring up Quincy Olivari: ‘We’ve got a kid who does not deserve his job’

Former Los Angeles Lakers big man Kwame Brown believes that Lakers guard Bronny James “does not deserve his job.”

Brown recently proposed that the Lakers cut the son of Lakers superstar LeBron James and give his spot to two-way player Quincy Olivari.

Olivari was a bright spot for the Lakers during the preseason, and so far this season, he has appeared in four games in the G League. A five-year player in college, Olivari was not picked in the 2024 NBA Draft, but he was able to play his way into a two-way deal with the Lakers before the regular season started.

“We’ve got a kid who does not deserve his job,” Brown said of the younger James. “Why can’t they just cut Bronny and bring up Quincy, somebody to help the Lakers? They just got their a– whooped by 25.”

The Lakers are coming off a tough loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves where they scored just 80 points in a 109-80 loss. However, the Lakers’ role players weren’t exactly to blame in that matchup. The elder James and fellow superstar Anthony Davis both struggled in the loss to Minnesota.

Davis shot just 4-for-14 from the field on Monday, scoring 12 points while adding 11 rebounds and five assists. It was just the second time all season that he failed to score 15 points in a game. As for the elder James, he shot 4-for-16 from the field and 0-for-4 from beyond the arc, finishing the game with 10 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

If the Lakers want to make any kind of noise in the Western Conference this season, both of those players will have to play better than they did on Monday.

Former NBA guard Gilbert Arenas showed love to Olivari on the podcast with Brown, pointing out that he played so well that he earned a job prior to the 2024-25 regular season, with the Lakers even cutting someone to make a spot for him.

Brown responded.

“That’s the problem,” Brown said. “It should have been a spot. It shouldn’t have been guaranteed for Bronny. Bronny should have been cut by now, and he (Olivari) shouldn’t have to be gracious or grateful for s—. It’s a competition.”

Currently, the younger James is on a standard deal, and Olivari remains on his two-way. Brown seems to think that the Lakers should open up a standard spot for Olivari by cutting the younger James.

In four G League games, Olivari is averaging 23.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game while shooting 35.5 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from 3-point range.

This season, the younger James has appeared in six games for the Lakers, but he’s played limited minutes. At the NBA level, the 2024 second-round pick is averaging 0.7 points, 0.2 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.

The Lakers signed the younger James to a four-year contract worth nearly $8 million after selecting him in the 2024 NBA Draft. He has a team option on the deal in the fourth season. It seems unlikely that the Lakers would consider moving on from him this season, especially since his father is still starring on the team.