There is a deep sense of discomfort percolating in Hollywood. The Los Angeles Lakers, on the surface, are a team trying to win a championship with Luka Dončić and LeBron James, two of the very best players this sport has to offer. But beneath the surface, it's clear whom the Lakers prioritize more. This is Dončić's team, which means Rob Pelinka is very purposefully attempting to preserve cap flexibility and carve out a future beyond LeBron James.
One has to imagine LeBron is not thrilled about that.
For the first time ever, James has opted in to the final year of his contract. He now represents $52.6 million of expiring money on the Lakers' cap sheet. While a trade feels far-fetched, there is more buzz than ever about James potentially wanting to finish his career elsewhere. Rich Paul said the goal is for LeBron to contend for another championship.
"We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future," Paul told ESPN. "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."
If the Lakers did actually trade LeBron, there's a decent chance Bronny James gets roped into the deal. It would require some cap gymnastics to land James (and James Jr.) on another contender, but it sure is possible. Here are a few reasonably beneficial trade packages for all involved parties.
LeBron James can finally join Steph and Draymond in Golden State
Warriors get: LeBron James, Bronny James
Lakers get: Jimmy Butler, 2032 first-round pick
The Golden State Warriors made an attempt to trade for LeBron a year ago, but Rich Paul shot it down. Now it seems like Paul, James and company are more amenable to a relocation, and few teams make more sense from a narrative or market perspective than the Dubs. LeBron is a businessman. He understands the value of iconography and marketability. Him teaming up with Steph would be must-watch television.
James shares an agent with Draymond Green, quite famously, so there's built-in respect and camaraderie in addition to the years of hard-fought postseason battles. In terms of fit, there has never been a more perfect offensive complement to LeBron's skill set than Steph. Curry's constant off-ball motion and shooting gravity, paired with James' dribble penetration and elite court vision, would end with a lot of opposing defenses short-circuiting.
It's a hard pill to swallow trading Jimmy Butler so soon, but James is an immediate upgrade — even if he's only around for one or two seasons. Butler's contract expires after 2026-27 and he's 35 years old, with a play style bound to decline far more rapidly than that of LeBron. So the Lakers get a slightly younger star who doesn't eat up long-term cap space and the Dubs go all-in on the present, while sacrificing only a single future first-round pick to do so. Butler probably welcomes to chance to play with Dončić in LA. This is a win all around.
LeBron James can join Kevin Durant in Houston
Rockets get: LeBron James, Bronny James, Dalton Knecht
Lakers get: Fred VanVleet, Steven Adams, Jabari Smith Jr., 2031 first-round pick
This trade can't take place tomorrow, as Fred VanVleet, Steven Adams and Jabari Smith Jr. all signed new contracts this summer, but as a midseason trade, the money checks out. The Houston Rockets just landed Kevin Durant for a remarkably low price. Now they can buy low on another aging star, pairing two of this generation's greatest offensive forces in the twilight of their respective careers.
Just like there's natural curiosity around the idea of LeBron and Steph on the same team, we've all wondered what it would look like of LeBron and Kevin Durant combined their powers. LeBron's playmaking and Durant's shot-making would be a dynamic blend, especially with Alperen Sengun dropping dimes out of the post and Amen Thompson wreaking havoc on the defensive end.
While this trade does accelerate the timeline in Houston, it doesn't really hamper the Rockets' depth. Clint Capela just slides into the backcup center minutes vacated by Steven Adams. Jabari Smith's minutes get redistributed between Tari Eason and Cam Whitmore. Fred VanVleet's ball-handling reps go to LeBron, with Reed Sheppard thrust into a more foundational role, where he belongs. Houston has a very hydra-esque roster. You are essentially trading valuable assets for LeBron, with in-house replacements for those valuable assets already on the roster.
LeBron James could get the ultimate revenge on Lakers in Dallas
Mavericks get: LeBron James, Bronny James
Lakers get: Klay Thompson, PJ Washington, Daniel Gafford, 2029 first-round pick (via LAL)
There's almost zero chance the Lakers engage with the Dallas Mavericks of all teams on a LeBron James trade, but there's enough smoke out there to not write it off completely. If Nico Harrison, obsessed with stockpiling Nike icons and thwarting Luka Dončić's career arc, sees an opportunity to pry LeBron away from the Lakers and reunite him with Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving — probably LeBron's two favorite past teammates — then he probably seizes it. This would be the peak of Nico Harrison's misguided "I want to win right now and do not care about of the future" mentality.
Dallas never should have traded Dončić, to be clear, but we'd all enjoy watching LeBron, AD and Kyrie go for one last hurrah together. Health and durability would be a major concern for such an old team, but that problem already exists in Dallas. Trading for LeBron does thin out the Mavericks' depth chart a bit, essentially swapping three rotation cogs for one star, but Dallas still has Dereck Lively, Cooper Flagg, Naji Marshall, Max Christie and the like to flesh out the rotation.
Just imagine Cooper Flagg, a generational talent with MVP potential, spending the first couple years of his career learning at the altar of LeBron James (with AD and Kyrie there for additional mentorship). That would be such a rare gift for such a special young player. This trade also gives Dallas a real shot at winning it all. The West is a bloodbath and injury concerns are going to haunt this roster like a specter, but the door would at least crack open if James, Davis and Irving (once he's back from an ACL injury) can manage one season of relative health together.