Ah, December. The final wisps of fall have diminished. Temperatures have dropped to where they'll stay until spring. In mere days, a chunk of the league (including LeBron James) will become eligible for trade, stirring up a mostly dormant market. As has been the case for the last few years, it also means it's time to return to the trough for James trade rumors.
As was the case the last few years and will remain the case at least for the remainder of this season, the Los Angeles Lakers will not seriously consider trading James, according to sources close to the situation speaking on the condition of anonymity. Sources say that Rob Pelinka and the front office are squarely focused on improving this roster, starting with center depth.
As of right now, this is the practical stance. The Lakers currently sit eighth in the conference. They've obviously been going through a roller coaster of a season and their -3.7 point differential doesn't exactly scream “elite team.” But there is internal confidence that things can be turned around with the right acquisitions.
To what extent things can be turned around is up for debate, but the Lakers feel as if they can figure seriously in a wide open conference.
“They absolutely have to address their depth,” said an Eastern Conference scout. “The bottom third of the roster are all garbage-time players and two-way guys. You can't last 82 games with that going on.”
League sources believe Pelinka will check in on the price for Jonas Valanciunas on December 15 when he becomes trade eligible and belief around the league is that the Washington Wizards will be open to those conversations. The deciding factor will be whether L.A. is willing to pay what it would cost to convince Washington to trade the veteran center so early in the year, rather that wait to see what the trade market might look like closer to the deadline.
Another factor to keep in mind is James' free agency. Last summer, he was reportedly willing to take a pay cut to help the Lakers bring in more immediate help. According to league sources and those close to the Lakers, James badly wants to win a championship with his son on the roster. After this season, there is belief around the league that James would entertain that once again, perhaps to an even greater degree than back in July.
Where things can get interesting is if the Lakers slip at all in the standings or if it appears the trade market on wings would leave them devoid of assets moving forward to still not necessarily be considered a serious championship contender.
Sources close to the Lakers did say that, if James asked the Lakers to trade him, they would work with him to find a deal that lands him where he'd rather be, but also brings back the kind of return that would jumpstart a rebuild. If James was traded, it's also believed Bronny James would have to be part of the deal.
One executive pointed to Kobe Bryant's 2007 trade demand.
“They listened to his request back then,” he explained. “They even had that deal with Chicago figured out for Luol Deng. But then, Kobe wanted to play with Luol and Dr. (Jerry) Buss sat down with Kobe and said that if they can't find a deal that makes sense, they aren't just going to trade him for anything.”
When the Golden State Warriors called the Lakers about a James deal, team governor Jeanie Buss instructed them to talk to James about his interest in such a thing, which isn't exactly shutting down negotiations, via ESPN. If Golden State came calling again about such a deal, sources say Buss would likely take a similar approach this time around.
What would it take for a LeBron James trade to work
Related Los Angeles Lakers NewsArticle continues below
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) in action against the Atlanta Hawks in overtime at State Farm Arena.
Brett Davis-Imagn Images
It can't be stressed enough, however, how complicated a James trade would be to execute. He is owed $48.7 million this season and neither Golden State or L.A. has very much room under their respective aprons. Golden State only has Wiggins' $26.3 million to work with and that obviously only gets them a little more than halfway there.
Golden State would have De'Anthony Melton's injury exception to help, but after him, the rest of their meaningful money is tied up in low-contract rotation talent. So on top of Wiggins or Draymond Green, they'd need to send out Jonathan Kuminga, Gary Payton II, Brandin Podziemski and Moses Moody. Would Steph Curry, James, one of Draymond or Wiggins and whoever is left after the trade be enough to win a championship?
The Lakers would also have to cut a third of their roster and some other cap work for this to be possible. Long story short, because of this ridiculous CBA, all this might be even more moot than it would normally be. If you sense frustration in that last sentence, it's because I spent 30 minutes trying to make an even semi-realistic trade that would be close enough to execute.
So, between the Lakers' preference right now, how much James likes playing in L.A. near his family, and how difficult it is to even piece together a viable deal, the chances at him getting traded are next to none. But hey, early December.