3 apocalypse Lakers trade targets to sacrifice the future for another LeBron title

LeBron James, arguably the greatest basketball player of all time, at 39 years old and entering his 22nd season in the NBA, does not have a lot of time left to play in the league. After a gold medal run in Paris and an extremely quiet offseason for the Lakers, LeBron is voicing a sense of urgency.

The Lakers are right up against the second apron of the salary cap, leaving them only a few (but important) tools to trade with. They are able to aggregate multiple salaries together in a trade to bring in help for their superstar, but they are unable to take on more salary than they send out in said trade, making things difficult. They also have a few draft picks they could send out, but not so many that they can unload them for the best of the best in the league.

The team seems to be trying to strike a balance between remaining competitive while LeBron is on the roster, while at the same time not squandering their few future assets for when he is no longer on it.

But what if LeBron puts the screws to Lakers GM Rob Pelinka and they decide they’re going to go for it? Here are a few nuclear options they may pursue in that universe.

3. Karl-Anthony Towns, C, Minnesota Timberwolves

The Timberwolves are teetering quite delicately on the edge of becoming too expensive to be sustainable. They fought for a well-deserved trip to the Western Conference Finals last season, where they ultimately fell to the Dallas Mavericks. This seems to have held ownership away from the impending financial cliff for now, but an ownership change and/or a disappointing season could change that quickly.

Towns has the kind of star power to his name that might be enough to appease James. He has had his problems with defending as a center and with turning the ball over, but he is a nightmare matchup on the offensive end. He was also part of a dominant defense next to an elite rim protector last season, so perhaps playing next to Anthony Davis would allow him to continue to minimize his weaknesses.

James, Davis and Towns would form a huge front line that should be able to punish teams on the glass, while LeBron’s genius with the ball should be able to make use of KAT’s many offensive talents. The mechanics of a trade would be important for what is left to make up the backcourt and ultimately determine their ceiling.

The Wolves are over the second apron, complicating things even further. With these limitations and a desire to compete, a third team would certainly need to be involved. Is there a world where Jerami Grant, useful expiring salary and draft capital end up in Minnesota, while Portland gets some young players and/or draft picks?

2. Jimmy Butler, F, Miami Heat

While Jimmy Butler and the Heat are heading into the season with an apparent truce on his future becoming a distraction, this is the NBA, and you just never know. If things are not going well in South Beach, the two parties could see themselves heading for a divorce. Bam Adebayo recently signed a huge extension and looks to be the focus of the future for this team, so moving on from Butler could be in the cards.

If there’s anyone who can get the best out of Butler for a run at the Finals, it’s likely LeBron. Butler has a recent history of missing games and lackluster regular season performance, but few can match his intensity and effectiveness when properly motivated for a playoff run. He doesn’t offer a lot to help their spacing, but his rugged defense and relentless driving attack could make up for it with the right lineups around him.

Like the Lakers, the Heat are over the first apron and unable to add salary in a trade, again making a third team beneficial in any deal with L.A. Snagging Rui Hachimura, additional salary filler, maybe Dalton Knecht and some draft equity may be of interest to Miami if they’re looking to retool around Adebayo.

1. Donovan Mitchell, G, Cleveland Cavaliers

Yes, Donovan Mitchell just recently signed an extension with the Cavaliers, locking him into a longer-term contract. But he would not be the first player to secure his bag before looking for greener pastures not long after. The Cavs have been grappling with fit issues on the roster ever since pairing Mitchell with Darius Garland and one of them could be on the move if certain stars were to align.

Mitchell would provide a young star to take over as the primary ball handler after LeBron rides off into the sunset, making him a bit more appealing to the Lakers. While with LeBron, he can take some of the regular season workload and provide elite off-the-dribble shooting and creation to bend the defense. He is a proven gamer in the playoffs and could form a deadly pick-and-roll combo with Anthony Davis.

This scenario would also likely require Mitchell to exercise some less-than-savory practices to work his way to Hollywood, as the Lakers likely do not have a trade package that would beat out other interested suitors. But in this alternate timeline where his value is depressed in this way, perhaps the Lakers give all their available picks and swaps, Austin Reaves, and Dalton Knecht to land the seventh-year pro.

Let’s be honest, none of these scenarios are likely. Even if one to occur, it is far from guaranteed to actually turn the Lakers into serious title contenders. This would turn it into an apocalyptic situation where the future was sacrificed without achieving short-term success, leaving them in a bleak situation by the end of the decade. The team just has a lot of holes that are tough to fill with a single star player and the league is filled with talented teams that make the road extremely difficult, particularly in the Western Conference.