The Los Angeles Lakers could potentially land a superstar sharpshooter, but they would need to part ways with LeBron James to get the deal done, or at least, that’s the belief of one NBA analyst.
According to Sam Quinn of CBS Sports, the Golden State Warriors should be considered among the favorites to land LeBron via trade this summer, but they would need to include one of their star players to make the money work. Enter Klay Thompson.
If the Lakers are content to let masterpieces like the one LeBron just gave us go to waste, I can think of quite a few teams that are ready to appreciate him.
“There’s a trade to be made here. It’s just a matter of who’s going to be involved. One of the following four players has to be in it as matching salary: Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, Jordan Poole or Andrew Wiggins…Thompson is the next likeliest choice, but he’s a beloved Bay Area icon who carries none of Green’s baggage. Would the team really let him go? Would Curry? Thompson’s father played in Los Angeles. That might be enough to convince him to give the Lakers a try,” Quinn wrote on December 30.
Thompson, 32, is a proven winner in the NBA, and over the 29 games he’s played so far this season, he’s averaging 19.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game while shooting 40.2% from the field and 37.9% from deep. Still, it’s worth noting that Thompson missed two years of basketball due to significant knee injuries, and may not be the player we saw during his prime.
Warriors Make Sense For LeBron
If LeBron is truly committed to finding himself a new home on a team that has the player personnel to compete for a championship, then the Warriors could be his best bet. After all, Golden State’s core is all aging, and are looking to maximize the final few years of their careers – which fits in perfectly with LeBron’s mindset.
According to Quinn, LeBron makes as much sense for the Warriors as they do for him.
I think there are six non-Lakers teams he would be open to playing for: the Cavs, Heat, Warriors, Clippers, Knicks and Nets.
I don’t have trades but I think it would have to be one of those six teams.
“James wasn’t even a little subtle in April when he said that Stephen Curry would be the player in today’s league with whom he’d most want to play. The Bay Area isn’t quite New York or Los Angeles, but it’s still an extremely appealing market thanks to Silicon Valley. Golden State’s ownership has hinted that it doesn’t plan to pay for a half-billion dollar payroll in the near future, but perhaps they’d change their tune if it meant access to all of the ancillary revenue streams James creates. The Warriors may not have felt they needed James to compete for a fifth championship before the season. Their poor start could make them more aggressive,” Quinn wrote.
LeBron, 38, is still one of the best players in the NBA and could easily slot into the Warriors system, especially if it ensures he’s given the green light to become more of a perimeter-based player, thus saving his body from taking a beating around the rim every night.
LeBron James May Want To Remain In Los Angeles
According to a December 30 report by Marc Stein via his SteinLine newsletter, LeBron may forgo his wish to compete for championships to remain with the Lakers moving forward, as his family is settled in Los Angeles.
“Family reasons and LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION, as we’ve noted here many times, were the true driving forces that prompted James to leave Cleveland for Hollywood in the summer of 2018. Those are believed to be the same forces that would keep him from urging the Lakers to ship him somewhere that he has an actual chance at ring No. 5. His oldest son Bronny is a high school senior. Another son, Bryce, is a high school sophomore. They’re budding prospects thriving in Southern California. James presumably doesn’t want to uproot them,” Stein wrote.
However, given the close proximity between San Francisco and Los Angeles, moving to the Warriors could be a perfect way for LeBron to both have his cake and eat it.
4-Time NBA Champion Could be Convinced to Jump Ship to Lakers, Says Analyst