Outrageous Trade Idea Would Send LeBron James Back to Cleveland Cavaliers

The NBA trade deadline is scheduled for Feb. 5, and the Cleveland Cavaliers might be active in the market.

The Cavaliers are often mentioned in trade rumors, and one name that consistently comes up is LeBron James, the forward for the Los Angeles Lakers.

James spent 11 years playing for the Cavs, and now, at 41, he could be looking at retirement. He may want to wrap up his career back in Cleveland.

Trade idea sends James to Cavs

Securing a deal of this magnitude would require a significant trade for the Cavs to bring James back, and Greg Swartz from Bleacher Report created a three-team trade scenario that would reunite James with Cleveland.

Swartz has the Utah Jazz as the third team in this trade, and the full trade would look like this.

The Cavaliers would receive LeBron James, Bronny James and Adou Thiero. The Lakers would get Lauri Markkanen and Jarrett Allen, while the Jazz would acquire De'Andre Hunter, Max Strus, Sam Merrill, Lonzo Ball, Gabe Vincent and two first-round picks from the Lakers in 2027.

Swartz labeled reasons why he thinks the Cavs would do the deal.

"James brings the toughness and postseason experience this roster needs after three straight early playoff exits," Swartz wrote on Tuesday. "There's a nostalgia factor to be sure as James winds down his legendary career, but the 41-year-old can actually help the Cavs win a title this summer, exactly 10 years after he led them to their first in franchise history in 2016.

"The Cavs would have a starting five of Garland, Mitchell, Dean Wade, James and Mobley and still have Jaylon Tyson (who's been excellent in Year 2), Larry Nance Jr., Craig Porter Jr., Tyrese Proctor and Thomas Bryant. Cleveland would need to fill two roster spots while still staying under the second apron, most likely converting two-way players like Nae'Qwan Tomlin and Chris Livingston into guaranteed deals."

Cleveland would lose a lot of depth

It would be exciting to see James return to Cleveland, but bringing him back could actually do more harm than good for the Cavs. While there’s no denying that James is still a phenomenal player, they might only have him for a single playoff run. In the end, that risk isn't worth the cost of shaking up the roster.

Cleveland would part ways with five players in this trade, and each of them plays a significant role on the team. It's a nice idea to try and get James back to the Cavs, but the trade would be hard to swallow.