Lakers: Analyst Thinks Trading LeBron James For Young Center, Depth Could Help LA
The NBA trade deadline is less than a month away, and the Lakers are one of a handful of teams who could greatly benefit from a trade. But not just a trade, but a good trade.
However, this piece isn’t about the trade deadline but how The Athletic's David Aldridge proposes possible trades centered around LeBron James in the summer of 2023.
James, in year 20, is still playing at a superstar level; however, the Lakers are average at best, and right now, they’d miss the playoffs for the third time in James’ fifth season in LA.
Alridge proposed a handful of trades that could go down, one being between the Phoenix Suns.
"It’s no secret that James and Chris Paul have always wanted to play together. The Lakers, of course, would ask for Devin Booker as the key part of any package in return. The Suns, of course, would say no. But the Suns have other options that could get the Lakers toward yes, even if it kept James in the west. It’s hard to see Suns center Deandre Ayton having a long shelf life in Phoenix, considering he still seems far from simpatico with coach Monty Williams. He’d be the logical target for the Lakers, giving them a monstrous front court with AD. (In the real world, the Suns might want to make it a three-team deal to ensure they don’t have to see Ayton three or four times a year for the next decade, but for the purposes of this exercise, let’s keep it to Phoenix and L.A.)."
"Including Mikal Bridges is likely a non-starter for the Suns, so it’s easier to see Phoenix being willing to part with Cam Johnson, who’s missed most of this season with a torn right meniscus, but brings elite shooting to the party. But, Johnson will be a restricted free agent this summer, so including him in a potential offseason deal would be much more complicated, as he’d be subject to base-year compensation rules. (Trust me when I tell you you’d rather re-grout your tub right now than read through all the machinations of BYC.) A cleaner inclusion would be Suns guard Landry Shamet, who’s become an almost exclusive shooter behind the arc, and a really good one (career .389). Jae Crowder, who’s been seeking a trade all season and has been away from the Suns while they try to find him a new home, is an obvious person to include as well, since he’s a 3-and-D wing who could step in and play significant minutes immediately. But, he’ll be an unrestricted free agent next summer, and would have to be signed-and-traded. (We are assuming neither Crowder nor the Lakers’ Thomas Bryant will find massive raises in the NBA ecosphere, and would re-sign with their respective teams at or near their current prices to facilitate a deal.)"
"The Trade Offer: LBJ and Thomas Bryant (UFA/S/T) to Phoenix for Deandre Ayton, Landry Shamet and Jae Crowder (UFA/S/T). Possibility scale: 4.5/10"
There’s no way the Lakers would pull the trigger on this trade. Yeah, I’m sure LeBron would love to play with Chris Paul, but if he’s still under your control, why trade him?
The Lakers need to do everything they can to extend James’ window in Los Angeles, not trading him away for someone else to use him. Get the best pieces around LeBron and Anthony Davis instead of signing pieces that don’t fit with them.
There is still plenty of time for the Lakers to turn it around, but we’ll see if the front office does anything to make that happen.
