The Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James are quite possibly heading into the final year of what has been a successful, if not slightly underwhelming seven-year partnership to this point. L.A. and James have earned two trips to the Western Conference Finals and one NBA championship together. James will turn 41 in December and is literally the league's elder statesmen as its oldest active player.
Lakers Trade Idea Flips LeBron James for $109 Million Champion Wing, 1st-Round Pick originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James are quite possibly heading into the final year of what has been a successful, if not slightly underwhelming seven-year partnership to this point.
L.A. and James have earned two trips to the Western Conference Finals and one NBA championship together. However, the team has missed the playoffs once and lost in the first round in four of the past five years.
James will turn 41 in December and is literally the league's elder statesmen as its oldest active player. He exercised his $52.6 million player option for the 2025-26 season, which was a financial play, as opting out would have allowed him to hit unrestricted free agency and sign anywhere he liked.
That path would have also potentially allowed James to sign a one-and-one deal with another player option in 2026-27, which would have provided the four-time MVP and four-time champion with the leverage he has so often had throughout his soon-to-be 23-year career -- defined by the ability to force the front office's hand with regards to personnel moves via the threat of exiting the franchise the following offseason.
James is still trying to assert that type of institutional authority in Los Angeles, but the Lakers and their new majority ownership group led by Los Angeles Dodgers principal Mark Walter don't appear to be having it.
ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst reported on Friday, July 11, that James and the Lakers are barreling toward a breakup ahead of the 2026-27 campaign. And that parting of ways could come sooner, perhaps this summer or ahead of the NBA's February 2026 trade deadline, should L.A. find a suitable deal.
Jackson Caudell of Sports Illustrated suggested such a possibility via a trade pitch he authored on Saturday. The deal would involve the Lakers, Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks.
The trade would send James, Maxi Kleber and Vit Krejci to the Heat. Los Angeles would get Andrew Wiggins, Terry Rozier, Haywood Highsmith, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and an unprotected first-round pick in 2029. Atlanta would net Gabe Vincent.
"Wiggins would fit nicely alongside [Luka] Doncic and [Austin] Reeves, and could even be brought back if things go well this season," Caudell wrote. "Highsmith is a really good defender and might be the top perimeter defender on the Lakers instantly. Perhaps [head coach] J.J. Redick can get Jaquez back to the level he was playing at during his rookie season and get something out of Rozier as well, as he enters the last year of his deal. The 2029 pick could be very valuable."
James would also get to return to a city where he played in four NBA Finals and won two championships. Furthermore, he would join a roster with Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro that could feasibly compete in a weak Eastern Conference that is going to be ravaged by major injuries next season to the rosters of the Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics -- the last two conference champions.
Several analysts have connected Wiggins to the Lakers as a player of interest. The former No. 1 overall pick was a crucial cog in the Golden State Warriors 2022 title run and at 30 years old has two years remaining on his $109 million contract.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 12, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Basketball
