The Los Angeles Lakers are probably going to enter next season with their current roster. Still, LeBron James trade rumors have been swirling as reports about the end of his career indicate he may not want to remain a Laker. Many believe that one of the top LeBron trade destinations would be Cleveland. Rejoining the Cavaliers for a third act could be the perfect storybook ending to his incredible career.
Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report proposed a five-team Cavs-LeBron trade. He created “3 Trade Packages To Bring LeBron James Home to the Cleveland Cavaliers,” and this one is the wildest of them all.
“Cleveland Cavaliers Receive: F LeBron James, G Austin Reaves, C Walker Kessler, 2027 first-round pick (lottery-protected via Miami Heat) and save $27.2 million
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: F Lauri Markkanen, F De’Andre Hunter, G/F Max Strus
Utah Jazz Receive: PG Darius Garland, F Maxi Kleber
Charlotte Hornets Receive: C Jarrett Allen
Brooklyn Nets Receive: F Grant Williams, F Jarred Vanderbilt, 2027 first-round pick (top-2 protected via Dallas Mavericks)”
This is one crazy Cavs-LeBron trade. The question is, is it feasible?
For one, the Lakers would be giving up their second and third-best players in this deal. For that, you would expect the return to be pretty hefty. To be fair, the value is probably there.
Lauri Markkanen is a one-time All-Star, has more potential to grow, and is more clearly on the same timeline as Luka Doncic. He has averaged 18.2 points and 7.1 rebounds on 37% shooting from three throughout his career.
The Lakers would also get De’Andre Hunter and Max Strus in this deal. Both are incredible three-and-D role players who also match Luka’s timeline. Hunter was even averaging nearly 20 points per game before getting traded to Cleveland last season.
If you are building a team of defenders and shooters around Luka, this trade makes a lot of sense. The hard part is getting rid of Austin Reaves. Despite not being the best defender, he has improved each season and is already a 20-point-per-game scorer in only his fourth NBA season.
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Still, if the Lakers want to prioritize defense and get out of the 40-year-old LeBron business, this Cavs-LeBron trade needs to be considered. Whether the other four teams would consider it is a completely different story.
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