The romance is over, and the Los Angeles Lakers seem to be looking beyond LeBron James for the first time since joining the team in 2018. James has been the focus of many rumors surrounding him and his standing with the Lakers, stemming from alleged rumors that surround former owner Jeanie Buss and her relationship, or lackthereof, with James. This comes at a time when James' fit with the Lakers isn't what it once was, mainly due to him taking a back seat to new star Luka Doncic.
They play a similar style, and the team looked and played better when James was hurt to start the season. There seems to be a real push for the Lakers to cash in on James to some degree before he either leaves in the offseason or retires. Yet, who would the Lakers even trade James to? More importantly, where would he want to go? After all, James is 41, and is looking at the curtain closing on his career before too long.
Well, he could end up back home. One NBA exec told HeavyOnSports that the Lakers would be open to trading him back to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team that originally drafted him in 2003 and the club he took to an NBA Championship in 2016. The Lakers are apparently not interested in trading James to just whomever, but the Cavs are one of them.
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A move to land James at the trade deadline wouldn't be easy. As of right now, the Cavs are a second apron team, which means that any trades they make have to be dollar-for-dollar and can't include multiple contracts. Even if the Cavs sent over their most expensive player (Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley both make the same), they'll still be unable to make the money work due to how much James makes ($52.6 million). The Cavs would first have to get under the second apron, which means cutting about $22 million dollars.
The one player who would make the most sense in any James trade, DeAndre Hunter,is also the player who makes the most sense to trade away to get under the second apron. He would likely have to be moved before any James trade can be made. However they get there, once they clear that initial $22 million gap, then the Cavs could trade for James. It'd likely put them back into the second apron, but the Cavs would have a noticeable upgrade over Hunter and even breakout second-year forward Jaylon Tyson.
If the Cavs can somehow make this happen, with the way James still plays in his early 40s, it's hard to believe that he wouldn't make the Cavaliers a finals contender. They just have to find a way to land him without giving up key pieces like Tyson, Mobley, Jarrett Allen, Sam Merrill, and others. If they can, however, look out.
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