If LeBron James asks out, there is one team that is not limited by the aprons to make a run at the 40-year-old Los Angeles Lakers star.
His former team, the Miami Heat.
Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley proposed a trade that would bring James back to South Beach along with his son, Bronny James.
Here is Buckley’s trade proposal:
Miami Heat receive: LeBron James, Bronny James and Dalton Knecht
Los Angeles Lakers receive: Andrew Wiggins, Terry Rozier, Jaime Jaquez Jr., a 2029 first-round pick and a 2030 first-round pick swap (top-three protected)
Buckley noted that his trade idea would only have a chance of happening if James forced a trade, which, at this point, has yet to happen.
“Because if L.A. was ever forced to trade James—the initiation would have to come from his side—it should seek out a package that provides both win-now support for Luka Dončić and long-term assets that could create a brighter future around him,” Buckley wrote. “This deal would deliver on both fronts.”
Buckley notes that Austin Reaves, Wiggins, Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton will have to vascillate as the Lakers’ second option post-LeBron.
Wiggins and Marcus Smart will also give the Lakers two strong perimeter defenders to surround Dončić and Reaves.
Lakers’ Star Trade Targets Post-LeBron
Getty Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks and Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets are the Los Angeles Lakers’ dream target as Luka Dončić’s running mate post-LeBron.
It also aligns with the Lakers’ goal of prioritizing long-term flexibility.
Only Wiggins has the long-term money among the incoming players in this hypothetical trade, with a $30.2 million player option for the 2026-27 season. Even then, Wiggins’ contract could become a salary ballast for the Lakers if they are going to trade for a star as Dončić’s new running mate.
Adding two more first-round picks to their draft capital, which can expand to as many as five by next summer, if they do this trade, will position them better to trade for a max star like Giannis Antetokounmpo or Nikola Jokic, their star trade targets, according to ClutchPoint’s Anthony Irwin.
Udonis Haslem Says LeBron is Welcome to Return to Miami
There is a greater chance for James to reach the NBA Finals in a wide-open Eastern Conference than in the loaded Western Conference next season.
Despite the additions of center Ayton, Smart and Jake LaRavia, the Lakers are still not the favorites to come out of the West. The defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder are still the strong favorites to repeat next season, with the Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers close behind after their win-now moves this offseason.
Udonis Haslem, James’ former Heat teammate and currently the team’s vice president of basketball development, urged him to return to South Beach.
“You should want to put yourself in a position where you can win a championship and land the plane,” Haslem said on “NBA Today” on July 14. “That is not in L.A. I don’t give a damn who they bring to LA. That is not a championship roster right now with the L.A. Lakers. If LeBron James wants to put himself in a championship situation, then there has to be another opportunity out there that he needs to look for. I do know a place where he is welcome and he will always be welcome. Just to put that out there. You know what I’m saying.”
LeBron Trade Pitch Helps Lakers Get Luka’s New Co-Star