Lakers Could Be Open to Trading LeBron James to Cavs

Austin Reaves is getting max money, and now, LeBron James returning to the Los Angeles Lakers looks complicated, with a surprise Cleveland Cavaliers trade idea making the rounds

Lebron James | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

Austin Reaves intends to sign a four-year, $185 million max deal to stay with the Los Angeles Lakers, the richest contract ever for an undrafted player in NBA history. Luka Doncic is already secured long-term. The team's core is almost set.

That is great news for the Lakers. But it makes the LeBron James situation a whole lot harder to figure out.

James is an unrestricted free agent for the first time since 2018. Talks with the Lakers are happening, but ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported that he has not fully committed to returning.

With Reaves set to earn around $46 million per year, asking the Lakers to pay James anywhere close to his previous $52.6 million is a stretch. That gap is only going to make negotiations harder.

Could the Cavs Land LeBron James by Trading Jarrett Allen to the Lakers?

ESPN's Brian Windhorst dropped something that caught everyone's attention on ESPN Cleveland. He laid out exactly how a sign-and-trade between the Lakers and Cavs could work, and how quickly LA would jump at it.

"There is a thought process out there in Los Angeles, and I think if the Cavs were interested in this, the Lakers would sit up in attention right now, that they would sign-and-trade LeBron for Jarrett Allen," Windhorst said. "And I think if the Cavs were willing to do that, they could have LeBron. Obviously, LeBron would have to want to sign with the Cavs, but if your pathway to pay LeBron the money is to trade Jarrett Allen for him, the Lakers would kill for Jarrett Allen. Kill for him. They would do that deal in 17 tenths of a second."

"I think if the Cavs were willing to do that, they could have LeBron, obviously LeBron would have to want to sign with the Cavs," - @WindhorstESPN says the Lakers would KILL to get Jarrett Allen in a trade for LeBron. pic.twitter.com/WiFmIABUiE

— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) June 24, 2026

In simple terms, Windhorst is saying both sides could actually benefit here. The Cavs cannot afford James outright because of their payroll situation, so a Lakers-initiated sign-and-trade in which Los Angeles signs James and ships him to Cleveland in exchange for Allen may be the most realistic path the Cavs have. And the Lakers, who need a center badly, would take that deal without a second thought.

Allen, 28, averaged 15.4 points and 8.5 rebounds this past season while shooting 63.8 percent from the field. He is exactly the kind of reliable, high-efficiency big that Doncic has been asking for. Getting him back in a sign-and-trade would solve the center problem while also moving James' salary off the books.

The Cavs are already around $212 million in payroll with Donovan Mitchell and James Harden in place. Fitting James in at real money pushes them deep into apron territory. But giving up a proven, cost-controlled center for a 41-year-old is not a simple ask, even when that player is LeBron James.

Most signs still point toward James staying in Los Angeles. But with Reaves set to earn max money, the Lakers cannot offer James what they once could. If talks stall, Cleveland has a door, and Allen is the key that opens it.

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