BREAKING: Proposed Lakers Trade Flips LeBron for 2 Young Stars
Will LeBron James entertain returning to Cleveland if the Los Angeles Lakers fail to furnish him a championship-ready roster for his 23rd season?
Kevin O’Connor suggested a possible trade framework should James demand a trade while urging the Cavaliers to go all-in and bring home the soon-to-be 41-year-old superstar for a swan song.
“LeBron James to the Cavaliers would require getting under the second apron, which would mean losing Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland, and a third guy: probably Max Strus,” O’Connor wrote on X. “It’s a lot to give up for a player who may not put you over the top and may have only one year left.
GettyJarrett Allen and Darius Garland of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“Then again, Allen has folded in the playoffs and Garland is a tiny guard,” O’Connor continued. “Could trading them be a low-key salary dump for Cleveland? Then, whenever LeBron retires, the front office would have cap flexibility to build next to Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley with better-fitting players than Allen and Garland. So in a strange way, adding LeBron could help optimize their short-term title odds while also helping in the longer term.
“It’d be a complicated trade. A third team at least would have to be involved. A lot would have to go out. But if the chance is there, the Cavs should all-in on LeBron.”
The 64-win Cavaliers team that flopped in the playoffs could intrigue James. Joining forces with Mitchell and Mobley could give him a better shot at competing for a championship in a weakened Eastern Conference than with the Lakers in a loaded Western Conference.
In O’Connor’s trade proposal, the Lakers get younger with Garland, 25, and Allen, 27, who fits Luka Doncic‘s timeline better.
Rich Paul’s Comment a Veiled Threat?
GettyAnthony Davis and LeBron James pictured with agent Rich Paul.
James put more pressure on the Lakers’ front office following Rich Paul’s comments explaining his top client’s decision to opt in instead of his customary opt-out and sign a new one-plus-one deal.
“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Paul told ESPN. “He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with Jeanie [Buss] and Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.”
It sounded like a “Thank you” and “Farewell” message.
“We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future,” Paul continued. “We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what’s best for him.”
Doubting LeBron
ESPN’s senior NBA insider Shams Charania later added that James is “uncertain about the Lakers roster moving forward.”
With the Lakers short on draft capital and cap room, it’s hard to imagine they could be significantly better next season.
“LeBron James clearly is of the mindset that he wants to compete for a championship, and he’s going to be monitoring very closely on the Lakers going to make the moves that put them in position to seriously compete in that vaunted Western Conference,” Charania added. “And then if not, where do those conversations go, that becomes a subplot of this offseason Lakers.”
It’s hard to win a championship when two of the Lakers’ best players — Doncic and Austin Reaves — are below-average defenders. Much more without a starting-caliber center that put a strain on James. Asking James to anchor a defense at his age is too much to ask.