The Los Angeles Lakers still haven’t locked up LeBron James, and with every passing day, the franchise’s path forward gets more complicated.
A new three-team trade proposal involving the Miami Heat and Utah Jazz would send James, his son Bronny, and a $109,000,002 champion out of L.A. in exchange for a starting center and a versatile wing. It’s a bold scenario, but given where things stand between James and the Lakers, it’s not as far-fetched as it sounds.
Lakers Would Land Walker Kessler, Andrew Wiggins in Three-Team Blockbuster
The structure of this deal puts the Lakers in a position they’ve been publicly angling for: a legitimate starting center.
Under the proposal by Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus, Los Angeles would receive Walker Kessler from the Utah Jazz and Andrew Wiggins from the Heat, while shipping out LeBron James, Bronny James, DeAndre Ayton, Jarred Vanderbilt, Dalton Knecht, Jake LaRavia, and two unprotected first-round picks split between Utah and Miami.
Kessler is a strong rim protector with real size, even if he missed most of last season. The Jazz reportedly put a five-year, $140 million offer on the table but described the gap between that figure and Kessler’s ask as a gulf.
The Lakers’ version pays him $33.7 million annually over four years, which is a significant jump but potentially the clearest path to a young center this offseason. Wiggins, a $109,000,002 champion, brings championship experience and shooting to a roster built around Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves.
He can opt into his current deal at $30.2 million or come over via sign-and-trade at a lower starting figure. The Lakers would stay over the salary cap rather than go under as expected, allowing them to keep Rui Hachimura, Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard, and Jaxson Hayes.
The projected starting five: Dončić, Reaves, Kessler, Wiggins, and Hachimura. It’s a real roster.
Miami just gutted itself to get Giannis Antetokounmpo from Milwaukee, sending Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis and multiple picks to the Bucks. The cost: a depleted bench and a first-apron hard cap projected at $209.1 million.
That’s left the Heat scrambling for depth, with All-Star Norman Powell potentially on the chopping block. This deal would fix that. James would arrive via sign-and-trade on a three-year, $63 million deal, while the Heat offloads Wiggins and free up enough room to bring Powell back.
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Colin Cowherd floated the idea on Fox Sports, and his reasoning wasn’t hard to follow. “He likes the warm weather, he’s a golfer now,” Cowherd said of James. “Miami is on fire. It’s a fun city, he’s been there. It works. Miami with Giannis, Bam, and Portis, what do they need? Shot creation. Scoring and facilitating is what MIA will be struggling with. LeBron, Giannis, Bam, Portis, Wiggins, Bronny, that’s a squad.”
The projected Heat starting five would be James, Davion Mitchell, Powell, Antetokounmpo, and Bam Adebayo. The bench needs bodies, but the star power at the top is undeniable.
