The Los Angeles Lakers (20-11) are slowing down a bit after a hot start to the 2025-2026 NBA regular season.
Many are pointing blame at LeBron James for his lack of effort and negative body language in recent weeks. Some are even going as far as to suggest James is ready to be done in Los Angeles. If that’s the case, one analyst pitches a shocking swap with another struggling Western Conference team.
Lakers Predicted To Swap LeBron James for Jimmy Butler
The Golden State Warriors (18-16) are mediocre despite their best efforts to continue contending for a championship with Stephen Curry at the helm. Curry is the only player on the Warriors’ roster averaging more than 20 points, as co-star Jimmy Butler is underperforming with 19.7 points per game.
Analyst Bill Simmons predicts the Lakers and Warriors could fix their woes by swapping James and Butler in a blockbuster trade.
“How do you make the league more fun? You have a team that nobody’s excited about with the Lakers and a team that feels dead with the Warriors. LeBron for Jimmy Butler–that’s it,” Simmons said on his podcast.
James and Butler are putting up relatively similar numbers this season. The former is averaging 20.2 points, 6.5 assists, and 4.9 rebounds on 49.6% shooting, while the latter is recording 19.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game on 51.6% shooting.
This means arguably the biggest difference between the two is their contracts, as the Lakers All-Star is on an expiring deal while the Warriors forward has two seasons remaining on his $110 million contract.
Simmons continued, “It feels like a for the good of the sport trade, the Warriors are not fun. I don’t see a scenario where they become fun, but now you put LeBron on the team with Curry, LeBron reinvigorated. Then, Butler is probably a better fit with Luka and Reaves anyway.”
If the goal of this trade is to make money, the Warriors earn themselves an A+, but the reality is neither organization substantially improves in this scenario.
