An NBA writer proposed a fascinating trade that sees the Los Angeles Lakers move on from a $109 million duo.
The Los Angeles Lakers undoubtedly aren’t as high on their 40-year-old star as they once were.
When the former Cleveland Cavaliers phenom arrived in Los Angeles in 2018 (at the age of 34), the Lakers were committed to building a competitive roster around him immediately.
Now that LeBron James, a 21-time All-Star, is nearing the age of 41 and gradually declining, the organization has shifted its focus to appeasing its newly acquired superstar, Luka Doncic.
The Lakers’ decision to withhold news from James regarding the franchise’s $10 billion sale and ensure he didn’t receive an invitation to a recent meeting suggests the relationship between the two parties is deteriorating.
If the 2003 No. 1 overall pick and his son, Bronny, want to move on from Los Angeles before the 2025-26 season begins, Sports Illustrated’s Jackson Caudell believes the first-father son duo in NBA history would fit well with the Detroit Pistons.
After breaking down the details surrounding the hypothetical three-team trade (in which the Lakers would receive Tobias Harris, Isaiah Stewart, and draft capital, the Pistons would receive the James clan, and the Atlanta Hawks would receive Marcus Sasser), Caudell explained why the transaction is logical.
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“James would fit in nicely next to Cade Cunningham and raise the ceiling of the team,” Caudell wrote.
“Harris seems unlikely to be brought back after this year, and while giving away two first-round picks for a 40-year-old LeBron James, those picks are not going to be high draft picks if James does what the team would hope so in a move like this.”
“Getting James and then Jaden Ivey coming back from injury makes the Pistons an intriguing threat in the Eastern Conference.”
A trade to the Pistons would likely benefit James and his 20-year-old son.
The older James, who desperately wants to win another title before embarking on a post-NBA journey, would get an opportunity to compete with a franchise on the rise.
Cunningham and the Pistons pushed the New York Knicks to six games in the first round of the 2025 postseason, and with the Eastern Conference slated to be wide open next year, the addition of arguably the greatest player ever could help Detroit take a massive step forward.
Bronny, on the other hand, would get a chance to play for a more established NBA head coach (J.B. Bickerstaff) capable of accelerating the USC product’s development in the big leagues.
The 6-foot-2 guard averaged only 2.3 points. 0.8 assists, and 0.7 assists with Los Angeles in Year 1, shooting 31.3% from the field and 28.1% from deep in 27 contests.
If James and the Lakers continue to bump heads, a change of scenery could be on the horizon this summer.
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Category: Basketball
