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LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers became the oldest player to be named to the All-NBA Team at 40.
During the earlier stages of the offseason, some wondered whether the Los Angeles Lakers could move on from LeBron James. Trading James has more implications than just on the basketball court, as he’s a massive figure who brings a lot of money to the Lakers.
Ultimately, while the Lakers are still the Lakers and will always draw a crowd because of who they are, James plays a massive factor. Despite that, some still believe there’s a possibility for him to be traded, despite some recent comments.
Could LeBron James Head to a Familiar Team?
In a recent trade idea from Sports Illustrated’s Mark Morales-Smith, the Los Angeles Lakers would accomplish just that in a deal with the Miami Heat. Unfortunately, however, this wouldn’t be the type of package that the Lakers would love to get in return.
Heat Receive: LeBron James, Bronny James
Lakers Receive: Andrew Wiggins, Terry Rozier, Jaime Jaquez Jr
“The Heat are always in win-now mode, and LeBron James is still a top 10 player in the league. Bringing him back could help them make a push to get back to the NBA Finals in a wide-open Eastern Conference. LeBron and the Heat are familiar with each other, and Bronny is developing into a potentially solid role player in the NBA. They would still have to add a few more pieces, but the addition of LeBron would immediately get them closer to their ultimate goal,” he wrote.
Is There a Risk to Pulling off a Trade With the Heat?
While getting Wiggins and Jaquez would be a decent return in terms of players, there are questions about Rozier ever playing in the NBA again due to his current NBA betting scandal. It’s also important to note that the Los Angeles Lakers would likely be looking for multiple picks in this situation, and there weren’t any in the trade proposal.
Still, Morales-Smith believes there’s a chance the Lakers could take this deal, noting that if they don’t believe they have an opportunity to compete for a championship this upcoming year, they might look to move on from James and give him what he wants.
“If the Lakers don’t believe they can compete for a championship in the next two seasons, there is no reason to retain a 40-year-old King James and waste his final seasons. They need to start building for their long-term future around Luka Doncic. In this deal, they could have an amicable breakup with one of the legends of the game and get more pieces to put around Doncic, who they view as the future of the franchise. This would be a win-win for everyone involved,” he noted.
Does LeBron James want to leave Los Angeles?
The question remains about what the Los Angeles Lakers want to do, and whether James would ask out.
When speaking about the situation earlier in the week, his agent, Rich Paul, noted that the Lakers won’t trade him.
“No. No. The man has a no-trade clause. End of story,” Paul said on The “Tylil Show.”
However, the problem in this situation is that the Lakers are getting somewhat conflicting views from Paul. Earlier in the offseason, he questioned whether the Lakers want to win a championship. If they aren’t doing so with James on the roster and instead building for future championships, it might be better to part ways with him.
“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Paul told ESPN’s Shams Charania in June. “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.”
Jon Conahan covers the NBA and NFL for Heavy.com. Since 2019, his sports coverage has appeared at Sports Illustrated, oddschecker, ClutchPoints and Sportskeeda. More about Jon Conahan
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