National Basketball Association

Three potential trades for LeBron James if he wants out of Los Angeles

Published Feb. 1, 2024 6:01 p.m. ET

The clock might be ticking on the Lakers to do something with their current situation surrounding LeBron James.

Los Angeles currently sits at 24-25 and is in ninth place in the Western Conference standings heading into Thursday, one week ahead of the NBA's trade deadline. The Lakers could opt to make another late-season push for the playoffs, similar to last, as they're 4.5 games back of a top-six seed.

However, the team has been in a rut as of late, going 10-15 in its last 25 games in the near two-month span after winning the In-Season Tournament. Furthermore, James is set to become a free agent at the end of the season, with some speculating he could opt to leave Los Angeles to sign with whichever team drafts his son (Bronny James), if he opts to leave college.

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James is also in the midst of another All-Star season and could, theoretically, want to play for a team with a better chance at winning a title. "First Things Firsts" panelists Nick Wright and Chris Broussard don't believe James will do that, though.

"He's always fulfilled his contract, so I don't think he goes that route," Broussard said.

However, Broussard does think the Lakers should have a conversation with James about being traded due to his free-agent status. If they opt to go that route, Wright has a few possible trade scenarios in mind.

"If LeBron wants to be traded, I don't think the team acquiring him has to give up as much as people think," Wright said. "If he goes to the Lakers and says, ‘I'd like to be traded,' that also means, ‘I'm leaving in a few months.'"

Should LeBron ask the Lakers for a trade?

Wright listed three Eastern Conference teams as the most "viable" options for James. Here is a look at his three hypothetical trade proposals:

New York Knicks

Knicks receive: LeBron James
Lakers receive: Julius Randle, Evan Fournier, 2024 first-round pick (Mavericks, top-10 protected), 2025 first-round pick (Bucks, top-four protected)

Randle averages 24 points, 9.2 rebounds and five assists per game, and he's been named an All-Star in two of the last three seasons. But Wright believes the Knicks might have to sweeten the pot a bit due to the two seasons remaining on Randle's four-year, $117 million deal.

"The reason they have to include picks is I don't know if the Lakers are super excited about Julius Randle's contract. [Fournier's expiring contract] is in there to make the salaries work," Wright said. "But what you get is picks for when LeBron's leaving. It's something."

Philadelphia 76ers

76ers receive: LeBron James
Lakers receive: Tobias Harris, Furkan Korkmaz, 2028 first-round pick (Clippers, unprotected)

Wright believes that his 76ers' proposal for the Lakers to get James is enticing for one reason in particular.

"Korkmaz is in there to make the money work, but that's a valuable draft pick, getting the Clippers unprotected [first-round] pick in four years, because we have no idea what the Clippers are going to look like," Wright said. "The 76ers basically switch out Tobias Harris for LeBron James."

However, Broussard believes the Lakers might ask for Tyrese Maxey, which would be a no-go for the 76ers.

"If you're Philly, you're saying, ‘Well, LeBron's got Anthony Davis playing some of his best ball, and they're not even in the playoffs,'" Broussard said. "They're in the play-in. Are LeBron and [Joel] Embiid going to get us over the top? I don't know."

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Miami Heat

Heat receive: LeBron James
Lakers receive: Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson

Herro might have the highest upside of the players Wright included in his three proposals. The 2021-22 Sixth Man of the Year is currently averaging 21.2 points per game this season. The sharpshooting 24-year-old is looking to average at least 20 points per game for the third straight season.

"You don't get any picks [from the Heat], but you get Tyler Herro under contract and Duncan Robinson's [contract] to make it work,' Wright said.

As Wright explained how all three teams are "better positioned to win a title than the Lakers are," Broussard was a bit skeptical of those trade offers.

"I didn't really like any of those for the Lakers," Broussard said. "So, I don't know if I'd do [those trades]. … If I have to take on some deals that have years on them, I don't know how I feel [about that]."

Broussard shared his own trade offer, tossing out an idea that the Warriors should trade Klay Thompson, Jonathan Kuminga and an unspecified amount of draft picks to get James.

"Klay, his dad was a Laker and there's always been thoughts of Klay playing for the Lakers at some point," Broussard said. "He's an expiring contract, so you'd get that [salary cap] room if you're the Lakers. I would do it if I'm Golden State. Why not? I think they're done with that future plan. Try to maximize Steph's time left. You bring LeBron there, I don't know what it'd look like, but it'd be fun to watch."

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