[WINDHORST]: Lakers May Need To Trade For LeBron This Summer

[mademan]

They have practically no picks. Nothing but bloated contracts. Trades are nearly impossible with the cap and pick situation.

LeBron builds teams but the necessity for more all the time also destroys teams futures.

but the picks they do have are very valuable because history shows that once lebron leaves a team that team is going to suck for awhile.

Does it? It allows teams to bottom out quick and their rebuilding depends on them. Cleveland the first time got like 4 top 5 picks in 3 years. If they drafted better, they wouldve been amazing. Miami retooled quickly and the 2nd time Lebron left, Cleveland knocked it out of the park with their top picks. But neither Cleveland or Miami traded picks 5 years out because neither traded for a player of AD's caliber (when healthy). Thats the Lakers problem

[HoopsterJones]

I’ve stated this before. We’ve all seen this many times with Lebron. The Team gives up salary cap flexibility and future draft capital (or young players) to trade/sign for win now players that tie up most of their salary cap. Then sign ring chasers for vet minimum to fill out the roster. Once the team is out of moves to improve, Lebron cuts and runs to a better situation for him to compete for championships.

1. It happened with the Cavs in 2010
2. It happened with the Heat in 2014
3. It happened with the Cavs in 2018
4. It’s happening now with the Lakers in 2022

[Froob]

No way LeBron signs another deal with the Lakers

[sisibilio]

I would be fine trading Lebron for some young (cheap) talent and picks. Let Westbrook expire, and we will be players in 2023 FAs, with AD under contract. Good enough for me.

Cavs might do Love (expiring) + Sexton (S&T) + 1 future 1st but that's it

[Infinite Llamas]

Lebron went to LA to make movies, he isn't leaving.

Nominated for a Razzie this year.

That ship has sailed.

[Infinite Llamas]

I’ve stated this before. We’ve all seen this many times with Lebron. The Team gives up salary cap flexibility and future draft capital (or young players) to trade/sign for win now players that tie up most of their salary cap. Then sign ring chasers for vet minimum to fill out the roster. Once the team is out of moves to improve, Lebron cuts and runs to a better situation for him to compete for championships.

1. It happened with the Cavs in 2010
2. It happened with the Heat in 2014
3. It happened with the Cavs in 2018
4. It’s happening now with the Lakers in 2022

Every four years huh?

Lebron really takes “leap year” seriously lol

[JHFVF07]

I would be fine trading Lebron for some young (cheap) talent and picks. Let Westbrook expire, and we will be players in 2023 FAs, with AD under contract. Good enough for me.

Cavs might do Love (expiring) + Sexton (S&T) + 1 future 1st but that's it

Love and 2 firsts would be good to me, you can keep Sexton (have ZERO interest in pay him).

[danvato]

I'm of the opinion that GMs should stick to GMing and players stick to playing. Idk.

[NoDopeOnSundays]

Who could have guessed trading all your young players & picks for an injury prone big man would turn out like this after a few years.

[KHRICH]

Gut another team then leave lol great pattern

[Slacktard]

Why would they trade for LeBron? He's already there.

[mg]

Windhorst quietly signed back with ESPN Cleveland this week. It doesn't mean Lebron is going back to Cleveland but it most likely is a real sign the bloom is off the rose in LA as far as Lebron is concerned.

Lebron has never been traded but it would probably be in the best interest of the Lakers if they could restart a rebuild with a package of young players/picks. With that said I'm not sure the Buss family would actually trade a cash cow such as Lebron unless he actually demanded it (which he's never done either). The Lakers always been the team where older star players go to retire and compete for rings but it's obvious they don't have the assets to surround LBJ with a contender. There is also the whole Klutch connection to consider here so it's really not a matter of the Lakers deciding to trade Lebron. It would have to be a joint decision by the team and Lebron.

[Larry_Russell]

Think it's way more likely they trade AD. With Lavine also being a Klutch client and AD being from Chicago that makes some sense. Especially if the Bulls don't really wanna pay Zach a supermax.

Sign and trade Lavine with Patrick Williams for AD....?

That is not a good trade for Chicago, IMO.

But I am a huge Lavine fan, so what do I know.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

The Los Angeles Lakers might have to trade for LeBron James this summer.

James has clearly been offended by Lakers' management twice over the past two weeks. First when it elected not to make a deal before the Feb. 10 trade deadline after he had both publicly and privately prodded for something. More accurately, he expected it. And second when Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka stepped over the line when he announced James was on board with the status quo; a source told ESPN there was no prior sign-off from James.




He has been hammering the team's knuckles with rounds of trademark passive-aggressive maneuvers since, both on social media and in news conferences. Then he went aggressive-aggressive during All-Star Weekend in an interview with The Athletic in which he dropped lighter fluid on a previously bubbling concept that he might make one last return to the Cleveland Cavaliers before he retires.


Same as he was doing last week, in the wake of the trade deadline inaction, when he spoke about how his recent knee injury would likely bother him the rest of the season. The knee surely is an issue, but James was also laying the groundwork to give himself options depending on how the rest of the season plays out for the Lakers (27-31). What James is doing is likely aimed at one primary goal: Force the Lakers into major action this summer. He tried to do it nicely and now he’s doing it harshly.

https://www.espn.com/nba/insider/insider/story/_/id/33338796/lebron-james-used-all-star-weekend-put-los-angeles-lakers-notice

Say what you want about Windhorst, he obviously has legit NBA sources & has been right on ALOT of NBA news over the years. This could be LeBron trying to get major changes but it's also LeBron at the tail end of his career... let his gr8ness compete...

Windy ...

I didn't watch one second of the All Star weekend activities (nor did I watch one second of Super Bowl Sunday, game and pregame and commercials, included!). My opinion: CLEVELAND is good now. LEGIT GOOD. Seems to me that Kevin Love plus for AD could work well for LAL; and, also, LEBRON RETURNING TO CLEVELAND also works.

No brainer, baby.

Didn't Russ and Kevin Love play colllege ball at UCLA...YES, they did..

I'm good at this game.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

NOT EVEN SUBTLY starting rumor of three-way CLE/LAL/WAS trade this offseason.

Beal has played with Russ. Kevin Love with both of them works in LA.
Porzingis might be a stud in DC or not, we shall see. Davis Bertans and Spencer Dinwiddie didn't suffer long in DC. Tommy Sheppard has facilitated GOOD ENERGY, baby... I live in Hawaii but I am PG County all the way. No, not high...ATM

[The4thHorseman]

LBJ is the biggest rat in the game, when the ship is sinking he's the first to leave, time after time.

Exercising your free agent rights makes you a rat? Would it be better if James demanded a trade right in the middle of his contract like, Kyrie, Harden, Kareem etc??

[KyRo23]

They have practically no picks. Nothing but bloated contracts. Trades are nearly impossible with the cap and pick situation.

LeBron builds teams but the necessity for more all the time also destroys teams futures.

Is there any evidence of this happening? Like even once? I always see this, but no team has actually had their futures destroyed. I'm looking at Miami and Cleveland here.

[queridiculo]

I would be fine trading Lebron for some young (cheap) talent and picks. Let Westbrook expire, and we will be players in 2023 FAs, with AD under contract. Good enough for me.

Cavs might do Love (expiring) + Sexton (S&T) + 1 future 1st but that's it

Love and 2 firsts would be good to me, you can keep Sexton (have ZERO interest in pay him).

You will take Kevin Love and Lauri Markkanen and you will like it!

[canada_dry]

This was worded weird.

He isn't saying lakers will have to trade lebron.

Hea saying Lakers will have to make a trade FOR lebrons sake. To make appease him.

Sent from my SM-G960W using RealGM mobile app

[Pharmcat]

The Westbrook trade is a debacle. People should be fired for it. Every other mistake can be papered over , but this mistake is too damning to overcome for the team