The Los Angeles Lakers don’t plan to offer LeBron James a buyout if he’s unhappy with the roster heading into next season, but he could have meaningful trade value in the right scenario.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks reported early in free agency that the market for James around the NBA was relatively non-existent given his price point, age and what a team would have to give up in return. The one possible caveat to that involves a franchise on the cusp of a Finals push with James serving as the ingredient to put it over the top.
The Cleveland Cavaliers finished first in the Eastern Conference last season and fit that bill, particularly with the Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks all significantly weakened by injuries to top stars unlikely to return next season. It doesn’t hurt that James is also a native of Akron, Ohio, a former No. 1 pick of the Cavaliers in 2003 and led the organization to its sole championship in franchise history in 2016.
Cleveland’s roster is also going to get expensive over the next few years, particularly at the top, so dealing at least one of its Big 4 makes some financial sense. In this hypothetical, the Cavaliers would send Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen to the Lakers in exchange for James and Deandre Ayton.
Lakers, Cavaliers Can Make Money Work in Trade Proposal of James, Ayton for Garland, Allen
GettyLeBron James.
James’ opted into his $52.6 million contract in 2025-26, while Ayton inked a two-year contract with Los Angeles worth an average of $8.4 million annually ($8.1 million next season) after a buyout from the Portland Trail Blazers.
Their nearly $61 million combined salary only slightly exceeds the combined $59.5 million the Cavs owe Garland and Allen next season.
The luxury tax threshold is just under $188 million in 2025-26, while the Cavs are projected to have a payroll of nearly $227.5 million.
Cleveland can get off of James’ money following the upcoming campaign if it so chooses. Or the team can negotiate with James for his age-42 season on a reduced salary and extend its potential championship window with a core group of James, Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley — freeing up money to make other moves in the coming seasons without Garland and Allen on the books.
The Cavaliers’ 2025-26 payroll currently projects at above the second apron, which means that Cleveland would need to shed a significant amount of salary to make this deal viable. That would require a meaningful amount of motivation and creativity, but it isn’t impossible.
“It’s a lot to give up for a player who may not put you over the top and may have only one year left. Then again, Allen has folded in the playoffs and Garland is a tiny guard,” Kevin O’Connell wrote in June. “Could trading them be a low key salary dump for Cleveland? Then whenever LeBron retires, the front office would have cap flexibility to build next to [Mitchell] and [Mobley] with better-fitting players than Allen and Garland. So in a strange way, adding [James] could help optimize their short-term title odds while also helping in the longer term.”
Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen Fit Lakers’ Longterm Needs Around Luka Doncic
GettyDarius Garland (left), Jarrett Allen (center) and Donovan Mitchell (right) of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The salaries of Garland and Allen each raise over the next several years (two seasons for Garland on his $197 million contract and three seasons for Allen on his $91 million deal).
Los Angeles is already thinking longterm about how to best build around Luka Doncic, which is part of the reason James may push for a trade in the coming weeks and/or months, and doing so is likely to involve the pursuit of multiple All-Stars. Garland and Allen could fit the bill well.
Allen, 27, fills the roles of lob threat and rim protector the Lakers want alongside Doncic. The team could stagger Doncic and Garland to keep an All-Star ball-handler/scorer on the point for all 48 minutes, which would also minimize the defensive deficiencies created by playing the two next to each other in the backcourt too frequently.
Garland, 25, was an All-Star last season, averaging 20.6 points, 6.7 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. Allen was most recently an All-Star in 2022. He produced 13.5 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.9 blocks and 0.9 steals per contest last season.
Lakers Trade Pitch Flips LeBron James to Former Team for 2 All-Stars