Getty Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.
Trade speculation for Davante Adams has begun to swirl after he expressed frustration following the Las Vegas Raiders‘ 23-18 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. This led FanBuzz’s Matt Lombardo to put together a list of the best trade destinations for Adams in a September 26 column, which included the Cleveland Browns.
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is a noted Browns fan and he caught wind of the chatter about a possible Adams trade. He posted a gif of a man praying in response to a September 26 X post talking about the trade speculation.
James, who spent 11 seasons of his NBA career playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers, has been more vocal about his Browns support in recent years. The team is off to a 2-1 start and has a defense that is allowing an NFL-low 10.7 points per game. The offense has been solid and not special. They are 24.3 points per game, which is 11th in the league. Adding a three-time All-Pro like Adams would give the offense a big boost. Pairing him with Amari Cooper would give them a dynamic wide receiver duo. That said, trading for Adams isn’t simple.
Why a Davante Adams Trade Is Difficult
The Raiders are just a year removed from giving up a first and second-round pick to add Davante Adams in a trade with the Green Bay Packers. He’s still playing at a high level. He’s fourth in the NFL in receptions (25), fifth in receiving yards (322) and second in receiving touchdowns (3.) The Raiders would be able to recoup a decent amount of value if they traded him.
The problem is that his contract makes it difficult to trade him. He has a dead cap hit of $54.420 million this year, per Spotrac. The Raiders wouldn’t have to take all of that on if they traded him but they’d have to take on a large portion. That is a massive number for a team to take on. The potential draft picks the Raiders could get for him might not be worth it unless they are punting on the season.
The team is currently 1-2 so they just need a win in Week 4 against the Los Angeles Chargers to get back to .500. It’s too early in the season for an Adams trade to materialize but if the team keeps losing before the October 31st trade deadline, the chances of him getting traded will increase.
What Did Davante Adams Say That Led to Trade Speculation?
In 20 games with the Raiders, Davante Adams has gone 7-13. During his final three seasons with the Packers, he won 13 games in each. He’s not accustomed to the losing ways of the Raiders. The franchise has had two seasons with winning records since 2002.
After the loss to the Steelers, Adams made it clear that he isn’t going to be patient through some type of rebuild.
“I don’t got time to wait around. … It’s not a personal thing. I mean it is a personal thing, but it ain’t just about me,” Adams told reporters in his September 24 postgame media availability. “It’s not my mentality to sit here and try to take all season to figure it out and use these early games like this to establish our identity. We’re not doing the things the right way to establish a winning culture early in the season, so we gotta do something to turn that around.”