As LeBron James goes back to Cleveland for All-Star Weekend, there are sure to be rumors that the superstar will eventually leave the Los Angeles Lakers to go back to his home state. While James has emphasized his desire to retire in Los Angeles, there is no end in sight for the Lakers woes.
A long playoff run this season appears unlikely, and the Lakers will find it challenging to make major changes to the roster for the 2022-23 season. James is still two championships shy of Michael Jordan and has one year remaining on his current deal with the Lakers.
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All of this has some analysts wondering if James would ever ask out of Los Angeles. As the NBA trade deadline came to a close, The Ringer’s Bill Simmons, Kevin O’Connor, Wosny Lambre and Chris Ryan pondered the “perfect trade” for James.
“Is there an alternate universe somewhere where LeBron James woke up this morning and demanded a trade?” O’Connor asked on the February 10 edition of “The Bill Simmons Podcast.”
It did not take long for the discussion to get back to the Cavaliers, the team where James has already had two stints during his career. Despite the cold winters, the future in Cleveland looks brighter than sunny Los Angeles as the Cavaliers are less than three games back from the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference heading into the All-Star break.
“Honestly, if there was some way to get LeBron to Cleveland for like the [Collin] Sexton, [Kevin] Love and whatever else that you need to make weight,” Ryan noted. “It would just be so awesome to see him go back. He goes from A.D. and Westbrook to Garland and Mobley and just gets completely rejuvenated by going home again. I know it would never happen, but it is very, very, very intoxicating.”
Any Cavs Deal for James Would Need to Include Mobley or Garland
The Lakers have had the reputation of taking care of their stars (see Kobe Bryant’s final contract) and there are no signs general manager Rob Pelinka would explore trading James. The only scenario where a James trade has any chance of happening is if the Lakers star pushed for a deal ahead of his potential free agency in 2023. The Lakers will not be able to make any trades until the offseason.
Even in a hypothetical scenario, there is no way the Lakers would consider a trade without either Evan Mobley or Darius Garland being included. If James were to leave, his preference would likely be to sign with the team in free agency rather than lose some of the franchise’s top players via trade. Simmons is not sure the Cavaliers would be willing to mix things up, even for James.
“Are we sure Cleveland would want to do that?” Simmons responded. “They have like incredible chemistry right now. ….[Cleveland’s sarcastic response] ‘Oh cool, LeBron’s coming.'”
‘I Truly Hope That I can Finish My Career with the Lakers,’ James Said in 2021
There have been rumblings that James would be willing to leave the Lakers to play with his son Bronny James. This scenario is still three seasons away from even being possible, so it is unlikely Pelinka and company are losing sleep over the possibility. During a July 12, 2021 interview on the SmartLess podcast, James revealed his desire to “finish my career with the Lakers.”
“Listen, I truly hope that I can finish my career with the Lakers,” James said. “And how many years that is, if it’s four, five, six, whatever, seven. I hope that I can continue to play the game.
“I love being in L.A.. My family loves being in L.A. Being with a historical franchise like the Lakers is something, it’s like me being in Space Jam. Now, I never thought it would be possible. You think about Kareem and Magic and Wilt and Jerry West and Elgin Baylor, Kobe, Shaq, the whole list goes on.”
LeBron: ‘I’m Not From Cleveland’
The chances of a James trade are remote, but we have seen superstar trades become the norm in today’s NBA. It is also worth mentioning that James is quick to point out that he is from Akron not Cleveland, which puts an end to this sort of fairy tail ending where the NBA legend finishes his career back “home.”
“People always say, ‘You’re going back home.’ But I tell people all the time, ‘I’m not from Cleveland,’” James told Los Angeles Times’ Dan Woike for a February 18 feature. “There’s no disrespect to Cleveland. But, when you’re from Akron, you’re not from Cleveland. This is where I’m from. “
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‘Perfect’ Proposed Trade Has Lakers Sending LeBron James to Familiar Foe