Does a LeBron James Off-Season Trade Make Sense?
The 2022-2023 NBA regular season has just reached the midway point. And yet, the way people have already begun speculating about what could go down in the 2023 off-season you would assume the NBA Finals were only a few days away.
As usual, the Lakers are front and centre amidst that chatter. Currently hovering in no-man’s land, LA sits at 22-25 which puts them just outside the play-in tournament. And at 38 years old and counting, LeBron James’ future with the Lakers seems as murky as ever.
LeBron’s Uncertain Future
Last September, LeBron James signed a two-year contract extension that will earn him $97.1 million. If things go smoothly, LeBron’s current contract should make him a Laker until the end of the 2024-2025 season. By then, he would be 41 years old, and by that time, many observers believe James would be on his way to winding down his decorated basketball career.
Whether or not the 38-year-old veteran will finish his career in Hollywood remains a question that even NBA insiders find themselves asking.
With his latest pronouncements on the ongoing struggles of the Lakers, many are becoming increasingly convinced that LeBron James won’t finish his career with LA. In fact, some even dared to believe the Lakers could look to trade James this upcoming off-season.
In the Lakers’ final eight games of 2022, they lost five of those contests, leading LeBron to tell reporters “I’m a winner, and I want to win.”
He explained, “And I want to win and give myself a chance to win and still compete for championships. That has always been my passion. That has always been my goal since I entered the league as an 18-year-old kid out of Akron, Ohio. And I know it takes steps to get there, but once you get there and know how to get there, playing basketball at this level just to be playing basketball is not in my DNA. It’s not in my DNA anymore.”
Simply put: LeBron James is tired of losing.
Yes, the Lakers have won two games in a row, but they’re a far cry from a title contender at this point. And if the team were to slide in the opposite direction standings wise it wouldn’t help them in the 2023 NBA Draft as the Pelicans currently have the right to swap picks with LA this summer.
Making things worse, Anthony Davis is still without a concrete timeline for when he could return to game action. While he’s gone through full-contact scrimmages with the team of late, he’s still not ready to suit up anytime soon.
While Los Angeles may be linked to every potential trade candidate on the market, the reality is that their asset cupboard is bone bare, making a potential “desperation trade” even less likely to materialize down the stretch.
These complications, coupled with rumours the front office wants to restock their draft capital, has observers thinking a trade would have to wait until the off-season. And barring a miracle second half surge and deep playoff run, that trade could very well involve James himself.
Why Trade LeBron?
When he joined the Lakers in 2018, there was a belief that he would save the team from being the laughingstock of the NBA. While the team ultimately won the title in the Orlando bubble, they’ve only reached the playoffs twice with LeBron and even suffered a first-round loss in the 2021 playoffs.
It’s no secret that LeBron James has been involved in some of the questionable trades the Lakers made- particularly the failed Russell Westbrook experiment. Which is why you’d be hard pressed to find an NBA fan who feels sympathy for the predicament James currently finds himself in.
If he were to miraculously be traded this off-season, that would give both LeBron and the Lakers a fresh start heading into the 2023-2024 campaign. With LeBron presumably gone, the Lakers could finally hit the reset button and start rebuilding a roster in their own mould.
Despite his advanced age, LeBron continues to produce, averaging 29.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and one steal on 50.8% field goal shooting in 36:15 per game this season. Not to mention the box office draw that comes with having James on your team.
In short, if he were made available, there would be a lineup of teams ready to acquire his services. However whether the price tag the Lakers would want is ultimately met would be another matter entirely.
While teams will be willing to take the good (boosting their bottom line, on court production), they’d also have to be willing to stomach the bad (advanced age, high salary, wants to be involved in team personnel decisions, and his desire to play with Bronny in the future) as well.
So even if the Lakers front office wants to attempt to make one of the most high profile trades in NBA history this offseason, they may not ultimately get the package some have speculated James could be worth.
-Iggy Gonzales
Photo: Erik Drost. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.