USC Professional Athletes

The USC alumni pipeline into the NBA produced sharply contrasting headlines this week — one Trojan got cut loose, another clung to his roster spot through trade rumors, an injury scare, and his first regular-season minutes of the 2026-27 campaign.

Porter Jr. Out in Milwaukee's Roster Reset

Kevin Porter Jr. is looking for work. The Bucks waived the USC guard to get their roster down to 15, capping what amounted to a brief and ultimately inconclusive stint in Milwaukee. The timing stings: Porter had put together a career year in his first full season with the Bucks. That wasn't enough to survive a franchise clearly in the middle of retooling its identity in the post-Giannis era. Bleacher Report has already catalogued landing spot candidates, suggesting Porter's phone won't stay quiet for long — but for now, a productive season bought him nothing more than a fresh job search.

Bronny's Gauntlet Week

If Porter's week was blunt, Bronny James's was a soap opera that happened to end well.

The USC product entered the week with his roster spot genuinely in doubt. The Lakers were connected to trade proposals — most notably a reported interest in acquiring G.G. Jackson — that would have sent Bronny packing. A potential Dwight Powell addition, given Powell's connection to new Laker Luka Doncic, surfaced as another scenario that could have pushed James to the chopping block. Then a hidden preseason injury came to light, explaining a rough preseason showing and casting more uncertainty over his near-term availability.

The injury scare intensified when Bronny missed practice ahead of the season opener, leaving his availability for Wednesday's Lakers-Warriors tilt genuinely unclear. A Tuesday update cleared him, and he took the floor — five minutes, two points on 1-of-1 shooting — as Los Angeles rolled Golden State 127-105 in its 2026-27 debut.

The bigger roster decision landed before tipoff: the Lakers cut Dalton Knecht, a former first-round pick, over Bronny James. That call has drawn scrutiny — Knecht passed through waivers and was signed by the Knicks, which put a spotlight on the Lakers' calculus. But the result is that Bronny is in the rotation, at least nominally, heading into the season. He logged minutes in Saturday's 125-117 win over the Clippers.

One notable backdrop: LeBron James departed to Philadelphia in the offseason, signing with the 76ers and leaving Bronny behind under contract in Los Angeles. The father-son tandem that defined the prior chapter is over. Bronny is now navigating his NBA career on his own.

The Rest of the Trojan Roundup

Evan Mobley had the strongest week of any USC alum on the court. The Cavaliers center posted back-to-back double-doubles — 18 points and 8 rebounds in a loss to the 76ers on Thursday, then 20 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 2 steals in a 125-121 win over Brooklyn on Saturday. Sports Illustrated flagged Mobley as the central storyline defining Cleveland's season, and through two games, he's making a compelling case that the Cavs' faith in him is warranted.

Onyeka Okongwu quietly put together a strong week: 8 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds in Atlanta's 132-125 win over the Magic on Wednesday, then 10 points and a plus-27 in a blowout of Charlotte on Friday. Isaiah Collier contributed 10 points and 7 assists for Utah in a narrow 120-119 win over New Orleans on Saturday. DeMar DeRozan scored 13 for Denver in a loss to Oklahoma City, while De'Anthony Melton logged 10 points for Golden State in a loss to Memphis.

Two USC guards are navigating very different preseason realities as the 2026-27 NBA season tips off — one fighting for his professional life in the spotlight, the other doing the unglamorous work of becoming a real NBA point guard in relative obscurity.

Bronny James: The Verdict Is Cloudy

Bronny James' $2.3 million salary for 2026-27 is guaranteed. Everything else about his situation with the Lakers is not.

The 22-year-old guard finished the preseason finale against Denver — a 121-106 Lakers loss — with one rebound, one assist, and 0-for-1 shooting in 12 minutes. It capped a preseason that Lakers coach JJ Redick addressed with unusual bluntness, dropping a pointed evaluation of James after four preseason games that made clear the young guard has not done enough to quiet doubters. Redick has been direct: James has plenty left to prove.

The external noise has only compounded the pressure. Trade pitches involving James circulated throughout the preseason, including one scenario that would land a 6'10" three-time All-Star in exchange for the second-year guard. Speculation about a free-agency reunion with his father — LeBron James, who departed for Philadelphia in the offseason — added yet another layer of distraction for a player who needs none.

There are glimmers. A Collin Sexton injury reportedly opened the door for James to hold a roster spot over Dalton Knecht, and at least one Lakers insider has pushed back hard on the narrative that the organization's investment in him is purely sentimental. The front office's belief in James, per that account, is described as entirely genuine. Whether that institutional faith survives a slow regular-season start is a different question.

James was also reportedly being tracked to potentially make unexpected NBA history within the season's first week — a nod to just how closely his every move is monitored for a player who went in the second round and was never projected to stick.

Isaiah Collier: Studying, Not Sweating

While James absorbs a national media microscope, Isaiah Collier is doing something quieter and arguably more sustainable: studying film.

The third-year Jazz guard is entering his second full season in Utah with a specific player model he's been working off heading into camp, according to Sports Illustrated. Collier hasn't generated the volume of headlines James has, but that's the point — he's in the business of becoming, not defending his right to exist on a roster.

As a USC product now in year three of professional development, Collier represents the longer runway version of what a Trojan in the NBA can look like. No cardiac arrest narrative, no famous father, no trade rumors. Just a point guard trying to carve out a real role.

The Rest of the USC Board

Elsewhere in the league, DeMar DeRozan — the most decorated USC alum in the NBA — chipped in 14 points off the bench as a Nugget in that preseason win over the Lakers. Kevin Porter Jr. finds himself in a complicated situation in Milwaukee, where the Bucks were actively shopping veteran guards, including Porter Jr., in trade discussions ahead of the regular season.

The USC alumni pool in the NBA remains among the deepest of any program. How Bronny James and Isaiah Collier develop over the next 82 games will say a lot about what the next generation of Trojans can do at the highest level.

Bronny James Is the Most Scrutinized Backup in the NBA

No player entering his third season carries more external noise than Bronny James. The 22-year-old USC product — who turned 22 this week, with mother Savannah marking the occasion on Instagram — is navigating a preseason that functions less like a tune-up and more like a job audition, with a roster cut deadline looming and trade rumors already circulating before a single regular-season game has been played.

The backdrop is new: LeBron James is gone. Luka Doncic is the face of the franchise now, and the Lakers' supporting cast has been substantially reshuffled. That shift makes Bronny's roster spot both more visible and more precarious. Coach JJ Redick has publicly outlined a role for him — primarily defensive and off-ball — but the question of whether that role survives to opening night remains legitimately open.

Highs, Lows, and a Viral Moment with Steph Curry

The preseason told a two-chapter story. In a 127-103 win over the Sacramento Kings, Bronny was a bright spot, and in a subsequent 114-110 victory over Sacramento, he posted four points, four rebounds, six assists, and a steal in 22 minutes — surpassing Nikola Jokic in assists for the game, a stat that lit up NBA social media and offered a glimpse of the playmaking upside that keeps his advocates engaged.

Then came the Golden State Warriors. The Lakers were blown out 124-98, with Doncic, Austin Reaves, and Walker Kessler all sitting. Bronny scored just four points, and some analysts used the performance to renew calls for the front office to make a definitive decision on his future. That game also produced the week's most shareable moment: Bronny thought he'd created space against Stephen Curry on a dribble move; the officials disagreed; and both players dissolved into laughter at the call — a rare, human flash amid an otherwise high-stakes week.

Redick's post-game comments have offered some cover. He described Bronny as better suited for a defensive and off-ball role than as a primary ball-handler, which aligns with what Bronny himself revealed about his offseason adjustments heading into this campaign.

Trade Market and the Roster Clock

Trade chatter has been anything but quiet. Multiple reports surfaced this week examining Bronny's odds of being dealt before or around the roster cut deadline, with analysts noting that the Lakers could theoretically recoup assets if they move him. A reality check from Heavy Sports, however, tempered the speculation — any trade requires a willing partner, and Bronny's market value is still being defined in real time by exactly the preseason performances everyone is watching.

What's clear: the Lakers are not a team with roster slack. The departures of Rui Hachimura, Deandre Ayton, Jaxson Hayes, Luke Kennard, and Marcus Smart tightened the depth chart, and every remaining spot carries weight.

DeRozan Quietly Plots a Nuggets Comeback

Away from the Bronny circus, fellow USC alum DeMar DeRozan is getting a fresh start in Denver. Nuggets head coach David Adelman confirmed a usage plan for the veteran that draws on his roots — a throwback to his early-career role, suggesting a more fluid offensive deployment alongside Nikola Jokic. After departing Sacramento in free agency, DeRozan lands on a championship-caliber roster with legitimate Finals aspirations. It's a quieter storyline than anything happening in LA, but potentially a more rewarding one.

The USC pipeline into the NBA is as active as ever. The spotlight, for now, belongs entirely to Bronny.