The Los Angeles Lakers missed the NBA Playoffs for five straight seasons before LeBron James arrived and quickly rescued the franchise from their plummeting status among the top organizations in the league. A big-time thank you is owed to the Indiana Pacers for making that happen.
A recent episode of The Athletic's NBA Daily podcast featured Yaron Weitzman, author of the book titled A Hollywood Ending: The Dreams and Drama of the LeBron Lakers. In his novel, Weitzman touched on a key turning point which helped pave the way for James' exit from the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The author was asked to discuss what he had written about a failed three-team trade involving the Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, and Indiana Pacers. That deal would have landed Paul George in Cleveland. The move would have likely led to securing James' future with the franchise as well.
Weitzman said, "Someone close to LeBron, who I trusted, told me if Paul George goes to Cleveland, LeBron doesn't leave. ... If the team's that good, is LeBron really leaving Cleveland if Paul George is there?"
The guest on NBA Daily estimated that, one way or another, the Pacers were well aware that if they finalized the trade, James would not remain in their division for the foreseeable future. Indiana walked away from the deal, eventually pivoting to a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder instead.
Failed Cavaliers–Pacers deal pushed LeBron straight to Los Angeles
For those that do not remember, LeBron was in serious need of an upgrade to his supporting cast due to the Golden State Warriors superteam with Kevin Durant in the mix. The failed trade for George was built around swapping out Kevin Love, according to the story in the book.
That would have given Cleveland an impressive trio consisting of James, George, and Kyrie Irving. Perhaps that team does not ultimately conquer the Warriors, but it certainly would have given LeBron a real fighting chance, unlike what actually happened in real life.
With the outlook in Cleveland growing bleaker and bleaker, James packed his bags. The Lakers landed LeBron, and it may have taken a transitional year with him in the mix, but they did quickly emerge as a championship team shortly after.
The LeBron era in Los Angeles has certainly not been perfect. Injuries, front office mistakes, and other factors led to a lot of winning being left on the table.
However, the ultimate snowball effect of James joining the Lakers has led to a pretty strong team in the present. This existing timeline could have very well been greatly altered by George donning a Cavaliers jersey. Los Angeles should be pretty thankful that never happened.