The Cleveland Cavaliers reportedly inquired about potentially trading for LeBron James.
There were also doubts about whether they would keep Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland after yet another disappointing postseason.
With that in mind, Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report came up with an interesting three-team idea that could leave the Los Angeles Lakers, Cavs, and Brooklyn Nets all satisfied:
Cleveland Cavaliers Receive: F LeBron James, G Bronny James and save $24.1 million
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: PG Darius Garland, F De’Andre Hunter, G/F Max Strus
Brooklyn Nets Receive: F Jarred Vanderbilt, PG Gabe Vincent, 2031 first-round pick (via Los Angeles Lakers)
“This is as simple as a LeBron James trade could get for the Cavs and Lakers, with the Nets and their cap space brought in as a third team. The Cavs get both LeBron and Bronny James, with the latter attractive to Cleveland given his affordable $1.9 million salary. That’s less than paying a veteran minimum contract to a player with even one year of service. Cleveland also keeps three members of its core four (Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen) with players such as Lonzo Ball, Larry Nance Jr., Sam Merrill, Dean Wade, Jaylon Tyson and others still on the roster,” Swartz wrote.
Of course, keeping three of the core four members would be huge, but losing an exceptional 3-and-D wing like De’Andre Hunter is far from ideal.
Additionally, LeBron James has a no-trade clause in his contract, so he would have to approve any potential trade.
According to his agent, Rich Paul, he has no intention whatsoever of requesting a trade, so any transaction would have to come from the Lakers’ end.
Adding Bronny isn’t much of an incentive.
While he could still turn out to be a good defensive player, he might not be ready to play heavy minutes on any given night, and he’s an offensive non-factor who’s still got plenty of work to do in his game.
Moving on from Garland’s long-term contract could help the team’s finances, but it might also hurt their chances to compete beyond this season.
James isn’t the same player he used to be, and more importantly, he may not even want to play after next season, so this would be nothing but a one-year rental.
The numbers work, and it makes sense to a degree, but it’s still nothing but wishful thinking.
NEXT: Cavs Given Interesting Grade For Offseason Moves
