Trade proposal sends LeBron James to shocking California rival

Trade proposal sends LeBron James to shocking California rival

The Los Angeles Lakers are stuck in what appears to be another mediocre season, according to a “source familiar with the situation.” Steve Bulpett from Heavy.com. Los Angeles is 13-11 this year under new head coach JJ Redick and is the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. As Bulpett writes, the Lakers were 14-10 in their first 24 games under current head coach Darvin Ham en route to a record of 47-35, 10-14 under Ham in the 2022-23 season before a record of 43: 39 and a surprisingly good 12-12 start in their final season with Frank Vogel, eventually slumping to a 33-49 record.

“LeBron is almost 40, man, come on. He can still do great things because he gives the hell out of LeBron,” the source told Bulpett. “But if the goal is for this team to be consistently good over a period of years – a contender – that will not be possible with the current set-up. They gave it their chance in the last few years and it didn’t work. You have to be honest. Two stars wasn’t enough with what they had around them. That was almost never a coaching thing.

James teamed up with his son, 20-year-old former USC Trojans point guard Bronny James, this year in a historic turnaround. They became the first father-son duo ever to appear alongside each other in an NBA game in LA’s season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 22nd. Bronny now competes primarily for LA’s G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers.

“Now that LeBron has had the chance to play with Bronny and make this a part of his legacy, he needs to evaluate this team,” the source added. “I think he finds the team challenging, which makes a lot of people around the league think he could finally be open to a move to another Championship level club.”

There have been renewed overtures from the Golden State Warriors this season as the team looks to capitalize on the final great years of 36-year-old All-NBA point guard Stephen Curry.

“The question is, how can you make this swap?” the source notes. “There are few teams where his performance takes them from the second plateau to the top, but for such teams it is difficult, if not impossible, to endure his contract.”

This is where things got interesting. The source named a surprising squad, the 12-13 Sacramento Kings, as an interesting potential landing spot for James in a trade.

“The only place I don’t talk to LeBron about much is Sacramento,” the source revealed. “He could change them and they could have the wherewithal to make a trade work. They have a lot of young talent, and since it’s a small market, they didn’t spend like drunken sailors. They have some draft picks for a young talent. If they could match the salary, LeBron (De’Aron) would take Fox and (Domantas) Sabonis and drive them – especially Fox – up. With that threesome, these guys could be a force.”

Note that the source doesn’t mention six-time All-Star swingman DeMar DeRozan, who plays James’ position and whose new $23.4 million contract would likely be needed this year for a deal to work.

Would 20-time All-Star James be up for this move? He’s a more modern player than DeRozan, who lacks consistent 3-point shooting, although the 39-year-old James is far more injury-prone at this point. James doesn’t play much defense during the regular season, a problem for a Kings team that’s more middle-of-the-pack on that end of the floor (their defensive rating of 113.3 is 13th best in the league).

More Lakers: Should Los Angeles’ LeBron James and Anthony Davis demand an out-of-town trade?

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