Lakers News: Insider Pitches Deal That Would Send LeBron James To Ex-Team
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One of the most controversial moves in NBA history happened when LeBron James decided to take his talents to South Beach. The Lakers may want to get their youth back and with James having been in the league for 20 seasons perhaps a trade back to the Heat is in the cards.
James learned how to be a champion when joining the Heat but not without the ferocious media backlash faced all season long. Despite the distractions, James started what would become his first of eight finals appearances in a row, the most by any player since the Boston Celtics of the '60s.
It seems like a match made in heaven for James to go back to the prime of his career. With little signs of slowing down executives see the real possibility of him landing back with the Heat (via Heavy).
“They’re in the right position to make a deal like that. It did not end great between them (when James left the Heat as a free agent in 2014), but the hatchet has been buried enough. There could be an issue with, if you get LeBron and you get Rich Paul and all the Klutch (Sports, James’ agency) stuff, that is not going to mix with Pat Riley in Miami. But if he wants to win in a place he likes being, the Heat would take him back.”
This of course would require the Lakers to trade James away. Something they might be enticed to do with the aging future Hall of Famer but what would they need in return?
The Lakers would have to be willing to take back the contracts of either Kyle Lowry ($29 million for next season) or Duncan Robinson ($37.5 million over the next two seasons with a partial guarantee in 2025-26) to make a trade work. But the prize would be Tyler Herro, whose four-year, $120 million extension kicks in next season. A package of Herro, Robinson and, if the Lakers need sweetener, a first-round pick or forward Nikola Jovic might be the best the Lakers could do for James.
This of course remains speculation, but the Lakers have to eventually consider trading James away while he still has value. His years are numbered, but James has been vocal of playing until his son, Bronny James, makes the league.
