One Western Conference executive believes that the Golden State Warriors would be in a great position to trade for Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James due to their abundance of young assets.
Sean Deveney looked at possible NBA trades and quoted the anonymous executive’s proposal of James being sent to a division rival.
“If there is a bidding war going on at some point, the Warriors are in a great position because they can give you the young guys—[James] Wiseman or [Jonathan] Kuminga or [Moses] Moody, or [Pat] Baldwin, whoever the Lakers want,” said one Western Conference executive. “But you have to add either [Jordan] Poole or [Andrew] Wiggins, and that’s not easy. But if they want to win now, you can give up Poole if you are getting back LeBron, right? If they keep Draymond [Green] and come back with Steph [Curry], Klay Thompson, Draymond [Green] and LeBron, that would be a fun, fun team to watch.”
Even though the likelihood of James being traded in the offseason seems remote, there are viable reasons for the Lakers to pull the trigger.
One reason stems from the Lakers’ current 19-22 season record which doesn’t bode well for any deep postseason run. Simply making the playoffs is still uncertain, especially with the continued absence of Anthony Davis.
Until Monday night’s loss to the Denver Nuggets, the Lakers had won five consecutive games and six of their last seven contests. Yet, the Lakers may end up being better off trading for young talent that can provide the team with solid depth.
Also, James turned 38 toward the end of last month and has struggled with injuries during the course of his time with the Lakers. The superstar continues to get closer to becoming the NBA’s all-time leading scorers, but that accolade won’t do much to help the current state of the team.
James signed a lucrative contract extension during the offseason. However, he’s made clear that he’s likely to sign with whatever team drafts his eldest son as early as 2024.
That looming date means that James is likely to be headed elsewhere after the 2023-24 season. Trading him would allow the Lakers to get something in return, rather than letting him simply walk away.
Trading James to the Warriors would sparker plenty of chatter, considering the fact that the Warriors are a prime division rival. Also, during James’ days with the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2014 to 2018, he and his teammates faced the Warriors in the finals for four consecutive seasons.
With plenty of time to go before the offseason, the Lakers don’t appear to be pondering a trade of James right now. That may change if James pushes for a deal, though where he potentially ends up will continue to be a guessing game.
