The NBA landscape has already seen massive change this offseason, with stars like Kevin Durant, Desmond Bane, and Bradley Beal finding new teams before a much-anticipated 2025-26 season. While it seems as though major moves might be done for this summer, the NBA has shown over the last several months that anything can happen.
While rumors have calmed down, one of the biggest talking points around the association was the rumors of LeBron James potentially being traded. The Dallas Mavericks were a team mentioned several times, but perhaps the easiest move would be staying in the same area, playing for the Los Angeles Clippers. On that thought, a trade idea was proposed by FanDuel.
— ClipsLand (@ClipsLand) July 27, 2025
The proposed deal was as follows:
Los Angeles Clippers receive: F LeBron James
Los Angeles Lakers receive: C Ivica Zubac, F Derrick Jones Jr., G Bogdan Bogdanovic, 2027 1st round pick via LAC, 2031 1st round pick via LAC
Feb 28, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) shoots against LA Clippers center Ivica Zubac (40) during the fourth quarter at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images / Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images
Being technical, this trade wouldn’t be possible since the Clippers are unable to trade their 2027 first-rounder due to the Stepien rule, and could only trade their 2031 first since they own their picks in 2030 and 2032. But in the world of endless possibilities, it would be an interesting trade for both sides.
The Clippers go full win-now with James, trading away their best future asset in Zubac, who looked like an All-NBA player in the second half of the season. As for the Lakers, they land their franchise center in Zubac, while adding two depth pieces in Bogdanovic and Jones Jr, as they can get off Bogdanovic next summer via his team option.
Ivica Zubac is UNDERRATED 🤫
Zubac’s 2024-25 season:
✅ 16.8 PPG (Career High)
✅ 12.6 RPG (Career High)
✅ 2.7 APG (Career High)
✅ 0.7 STL (Career High) pic.twitter.com/UeNbbKSLBT
— SleeperHoops (@Sleeper_Hoops) July 20, 2025
However, all signs point to James staying put, so Lakers and Clippers fans can relax for now.
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