Can We Talk LeBron Yet?

[165bows]

Prob been mentioned somewhere but wouldn’t surprise me if Lillard is waiting on that decision as well. Possibly Horford too

[Nate the Great]

The CBA makes it tougher to trade big contracts. He would limit it to a few teams, and those teams aren’t likely to offer much for someone his age who seems to be considering retirement.

[Kilo]

LeBron trade will gut the team he lands on. His only scenario if he wants to go out on a contender would be to his free agency and sign for Full MLE. He's made enough money for crying out loud, so either stay with Lakers given Doncic, Ayton or head to a new team with no chance to really contend. Play out this year in LA at this point.

[165bows]

Hauser, Simons, Niang, Davison, Jordan Walsh, Tillman works in fanspo for what it’s worth.

LeBron and guys like that never want to go to Boston though. Also worth noting obviously all time great player just never been a fan personally and always rooted against him.

[jbk1234]

Cavs: DeAndre Hunter + Jarrett Allen + Struss + picks for Bron

Heat: Wiggins + Kasparas + Ware + picks for something around Bron

Didn’t think these out much, nor looked at contracts, but I think if he leaves, it’s to have a sunset in a meaningful place, while having a chance to win

See I don't see the Cavs trading all three of those players for LBJ, let alone adding picks.

[Magic_Johnny12]

Cavs: DeAndre Hunter + Jarrett Allen + Struss + picks for Bron

Heat: Wiggins + Kasparas + Ware + picks for something around Bron

Didn’t think these out much, nor looked at contracts, but I think if he leaves, it’s to have a sunset in a meaningful place, while having a chance to win

Are we really sure LeBron with all things considered is a positive contract/asset?

I genuinely don’t see neither of those teams doing those deals. ESPECIALLY Cleveland.

LeBron is a buyout guy. No team is going to trade for him at his currently salary.

If he’s not willing to sign for a min. deal (or part of MLE) to really compete for his last championship he can kick rocks and stay with LA.

[kobe_vs_jordan]

Cavs: DeAndre Hunter + Jarrett Allen + Struss + picks for Bron

Heat: Wiggins + Kasparas + Ware + picks for something around Bron

Didn’t think these out much, nor looked at contracts, but I think if he leaves, it’s to have a sunset in a meaningful place, while having a chance to win

Are we really sure LeBron with all things considered is a positive contract/asset?

I genuinely don’t see neither of those teams doing those deals. ESPECIALLY Cleveland.

LeBron is a buyout guy. No team is going to trade for him at his currently salary.

If he’s not willing to sign for a min. deal (or part of MLE) to really compete for his last championship he can kick rocks and stay with LA.

I would argue he is positive like a late first and expirings deal. Those deal seem way too much. He 40. Father Time could come any Second now

[MasterIchiro]

How about the Knicks? KAT for LeBron?

Luka/KAT is a younger core.

I think it has to be an Eastern Conference team because OKC will be blocking LeBron from any Finals appearance as he winds down his career.

The Cavs can't aggregate.

The Heat don't have a highly competitive roster like LeBron seems to covet.

So, I'd say he's open to joining an EC team outside his former teams there.

The Celtics are injured.

Knicks are the next best EC team after the Cavs (2nd apron) and Celtics (Tatum injured).

[facothomas22]

Lebron is a buyout guy, not someone who you trade for. Lebron is not good enough to be making anywhere near 50 million dollar these days and nobody is matching 50 million dollars of salary to order to get him. Things are only ending in 3 ways.

1. Lebron rides it out this season and leaves to go to another team after this season.

2. Lebron gets bought out/stretched and waived.

3. Lebron stays on the Lakers, but he gets sent home. Perhaps even retires for a year and come back. This becomes a real possibility if the relationship deteriorates between him and the Lakers even further and the Lakers refuse to waive/buy him out.

[Bornstellar]

Vassell + Johnson for LeBron tbh. Those two would thrive playing next to playmaker like Luka

[jayjaysee]

What’s the blowback for trading LBJ to the Clips? Huge right? But also it’s the right thing to do if you do want to move on from LBJ? And I think that’s about as important as the terrible optics of trading him to the Clips..

He gets to stay in LA.. LA can flip Clip pieces for different value/help? Not sure what value LAC really has though.

Powell, Bogdan, DJJ, Dunn, Brown as the matching?

Don’t ask me who plays guard for the Clips after.. maybe CP comes back?

LAC make themselves probably best team in the league for one playoff run “if Leonard is healthy”

[jbk1234]

The CBA makes it tougher to trade big contracts. He would limit it to a few teams, and those teams aren’t likely to offer much for someone his age who seems to be considering retirement.

The CBA isn't the issue. The issue is older players leveraging any last semblance of their peaks into contracts that pay them max money well after the decline beigins. The teams bear sone responsibility for giving it to them, and/or trading for them after they get those deals, but that cap space can't be spent twice. The Dame and Beal stretch waves will take $40M+ in available cap away league wide over the next 4-5 years. That would be a problem under any CBA.

[Slava]

Heat would offer like Wiggins, Rozier and Jaime for Bron and Bronny and not much more i'd think.

Eve if Miami added him for nothing, they’ll barely make the play in. I don’t think he’s leaving Doncic to play with Herro. The market is Cleveland, New York or Golden State.

[taikibansei]

How about the Knicks? KAT for LeBron?

Luka/KAT is a younger core.

I think it has to be an Eastern Conference team because OKC will be blocking LeBron from any Finals appearance as he winds down his career.

The Cavs can't aggregate.

The Heat don't have a highly competitive roster like LeBron seems to covet.

So, I'd say he's open to joining an EC team outside his former teams there.

The Celtics are injured.

Knicks are the next best EC team after the Cavs (2nd apron) and Celtics (Tatum injured).

The common element of all these proposed Knicks trades for Lebron is that nobody can ever explain what's in it for the Knicks...so posters don't even bother trying (beyond writing some variation of "they'll be a contender!!").

On paper, we're already "the next best EC team after the Cavs" right now (though I worry that the step-down in coaching quality is going to cause us to under-perform significantly next season). Given this, do any of these proposed trades for Lebron make us significantly better than we already are? Hmm....

KAT was arguably better than 40-year-old Lebron James last season, and my money's on the much younger KAT being better than Lebron this coming season. Disagree? Fine...but it's close enough that I struggle to see why we'd take a flyer on the easily disgruntled, soon to be 41-year-old who (at $53 million in salary...) is possibly playing out his final year. The disaster potential is just too high. I mean, despite his flaws, KAT fills two important roles (scoring and rebounding) and he actually likes playing on the Knicks. I want to keep the guy that really wants to be here, particularly as he's arguably the better player.

As for trading OG and Robinson for Lebron, this would leave the Knicks (a team which often struggled with defense last season) without our two best defenders. As the soon to be 41-year-old Lebron can't play sustained, high-level defense anymore (or he would have tried doing so last season), the resulting squad would give up substantially more than it can score...and struggle to make the play-in. Again, this should be an easy rejection by our FO.

Now, with Dolan more involved again, I can't fully rule out a stupid trade. That said, any Knicks trade for Lebron would be just that: stupid.

[taikibansei]

Lebron is a buyout guy, not someone who you trade for. Lebron is not good enough to be making anywhere near 50 million dollar these days and nobody is matching 50 million dollars of salary to order to get him. Things are only ending in 3 ways.

1. Lebron rides it out this season and leaves to go to another team after this season.

2. Lebron gets bought out/stretched and waived.

3. Lebron stays on the Lakers, but he gets sent home. Perhaps even retires for a year and come back. This becomes a real possibility if the relationship deteriorates between him and the Lakers even further and the Lakers refuse to waive/buy him out.

Quoted for truth. I'm guessing either #2 or #3 will be what happens.

[165bows]

Hauser, Simons, Niang, Davison, Jordan Walsh, Tillman works in fanspo for what it’s worth.

LeBron and guys like that never want to go to Boston though. Also worth noting obviously all time great player just never been a fan personally and always rooted against him.

Actually this part is irrelevant Celtics already have a pending trade of $63M in salaries outgoing so if they were to against nature get involved they would do it that way.

[nate33]

I'm keeping an eye on the Heat, they have 50M of dead salary, if they get Beal on a buy out, they will make a play.
Mavs should, but seems like they don't want LeBron media circus with Cooper on the team, and I torally understand.
In case of a buyout, he's going to Cleveland.

I don't understand. How does the Heat acquire and buy out Beal and then still have the salary slot to acquire Lebron?

[Mavrelous]

I'm keeping an eye on the Heat, they have 50M of dead salary, if they get Beal on a buy out, they will make a play.
Mavs should, but seems like they don't want LeBron media circus with Cooper on the team, and I torally understand.
In case of a buyout, he's going to Cleveland.

I don't understand. How does the Heat acquire and buy out Beal and then still have the salary slot to acquire Lebron?

Heat sign Beal with MLE and trade the salary for LeBron.

[dcstanley]

Lebron is a buyout guy, not someone who you trade for. Lebron is not good enough to be making anywhere near 50 million dollar these days and nobody is matching 50 million dollars of salary to order to get him. Things are only ending in 3 ways.

1. Lebron rides it out this season and leaves to go to another team after this season.

2. Lebron gets bought out/stretched and waived.

3. Lebron stays on the Lakers, but he gets sent home. Perhaps even retires for a year and come back. This becomes a real possibility if the relationship deteriorates between him and the Lakers even further and the Lakers refuse to waive/buy him out.

Quoted for truth. I'm guessing either #2 or #3 will be what happens.

Zero chance he wastes a year sitting at home. All signs indicate that he's willing to play this season out, I'm not really sure why people think the situation is toxic enough for him to be sent home. This whole thing is standard Lebron fare.

[facothomas22]

Lebron is a buyout guy, not someone who you trade for. Lebron is not good enough to be making anywhere near 50 million dollar these days and nobody is matching 50 million dollars of salary to order to get him. Things are only ending in 3 ways.

1. Lebron rides it out this season and leaves to go to another team after this season.

2. Lebron gets bought out/stretched and waived.

3. Lebron stays on the Lakers, but he gets sent home. Perhaps even retires for a year and come back. This becomes a real possibility if the relationship deteriorates between him and the Lakers even further and the Lakers refuse to waive/buy him out.

Quoted for truth. I'm guessing either #2 or #3 will be what happens.

Zero chance he wastes a year sitting at home. All signs indicate that he's willing to play this season out, I'm not really sure why people think the situation is toxic enough for him to be sent home. This whole thing is standard Lebron fare.

I think this is more of a extreme solution if both sides can't agree to ether play out the season or agree to a buyout, so not likely but yet far from impossible. The relationship between Lebron/Lakers is at a all time low with no signs of it getting any better. I think this resolves by Lebron agreeing to play out the season and then leaving afterwards. However there are some building block that could led to Lebron being sent home for the season should thing get really ugly.