Rate the Trade: LeBron James to Clippers for Paul George or Kawhi Leonard
In this story:
In what may have been one of the most unexpected trade ideas of the year, Fox Sports analyst Kevin Wilde suggested that LeBron James should try to get traded to the Clippers for Paul George or Kawhi Leonard.
"I think the answer to the Lakers roster is that LeBron leaves totally," Wilde said. "There's two teams in LA, and I think LeBron should initiate, or at least start considering, a trade to the Clippers for either Paul George or Kawhi. The roster is better, the Clippers are going to make the playoffs."
He even then further suggest that Clippers owner Steve Ballmer would welcome the trade because Ballmer would want to go all-in on winning.
"How about Steve Ballmer," Wilde questioned. Is he hungry for the championship and has the deepest pockets in the entire league? Do I think he'd be willing to go all-in for LeBron while he's opening up a new stadium like the Rams are doing? Yes, I do."
It's actually a very enticing argument to suggest trading LeBron James for either Kawhi Leonard or Paul George. The immediate thought that comes to mind is LeBron James' age, but when you look at the numbers, he's played in more games this season (56) than both Paul George (29) and Kawhi Leonard combined. Even last season, he almost played as many games as Paul George as well. From a durability and availability standpoint, LeBron James' age isn't something that should hold the Clippers back from pulling the trigger. Defensively though, LeBron would have to step it up much more than he's done during the majority of his Lakers' tenure, which might be a tough ask at the age of 38.
What would be pretty concerning is how the trade would affect a chemistry standpoint. LeBron James led teams always come under a very intense level of scrutiny, one where Brian Windhorst stated has about a "four year cycle". The Clippers are an incredibly tightly knit group, with some of the very best chemistry in the NBA. The reason why the Clippers are able to have all of the incredible comebacks that they have is because the team has such great belief and chemistry with each other. It would also be very interesting to see if LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard could co-exist with each other.
Trading LeBron James to the Clippers would honestly have to be one of the most interesting trade ideas in the NBA. It's one that could immediately turn the Clippers into championship favorites, but the team is also going to be a championship favorite next season as it is. Conversely, it's one that could severely jeopardize the chemistry of one of the best groups in the NBA. A very interesting gamble, and one that should be determined by both health and chemistry.
