Although the Los Angeles Lakers brought in former No. 1 pick Deandre Ayton to upgrade their frontcourt, their priority remains building for the future around Luka Dončić.
This approach from the Lakers’ front office puts LeBron James in an awkward position, as while he’d likely prefer to finish out his career in Los Angeles, he also wants to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy for the fifth time. The Lakers are a contender with James and Dončić leading the charge, but there are potentially better opportunities for the 21-time All-Star.
One outlet suggests a trade that gives James a stronger chance at contending for a title while keeping his family put in Los Angeles.
Lakers Predicted To Part Ways With LeBron James in Trade With Clippers
James joining the Los Angeles Clippers could have an enormous impact on his legacy. If he were to lead them to a championship, he would become one of the greatest athletes in Los Angeles history… If he failed to do so, the NBA community may call out his lack of loyalty.
The Athletic’s Fred Katz predicts a colossal trade between the two L.A. teams could take place, pitching two separate return packages for the Lakers. The two proposed deals are as follows:
- Lakers receive: Norman Powell, Bogdan Bogdanović, Derrick Jones Jr.
- Clippers receive: LeBron James
OR
- Lakers receive: Kawhi Leonard, draft capital
- Clippers receive: LeBron James
While the first of these two scenarios is more realistic, let’s analyze how a James-Leonard swap would play out.
Katz pointed out the Lakers may not be interested in absorbing Leonard’s three-year, $149 million contract, which runs through the 2026-2027 season. However, this perfectly aligns with when Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka is hoping to have room to sign a max contract player in free agency. This essentially means the Clippers All-Star could perfectly bridge the gap between two eras.
It’s hard to imagine a duo of Dončić and Leonard winning it all given the latter’s inability to stay healthy. He has not appeared in 70 or more games since 2017 with the San Antonio Spurs. This means if the Lakers have the choice, they’d likely rather retain James than acquire Leonard. Still, the 34-year-old L.A. native is a force to be reckoned with on both ends of the floor (when he’s on it).
However, the Lakers do not have much control over James’ future because of the no-trade clause in his deal, meaning he can dictate where he plays the remainder of his years.
For the Clippers, whether ot not they would accept the latter trade proposal comes down to if they believe James will put them over the hump. Although they lost in the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs, the Clippers took the Denver Nuggets to seven games.
The Eastern Conference is much weaker than the Western Conference, meaning as much as James would like to remain in Los Angeles, a change of scenery that takes him across the country could be tempting.
