Lakers at a Crossroads: Could Trading LeBron James Rewrite the Franchise’s Future?

Butler is a poor fit with Luka, though, so maybe the Lakers would want to flip him elsewhere. Who might want him? Phoenix. So a mega-trade involving the Rockets and Suns could always make reasonable sense with LeBron and Bronny to Golden State, Butler to Phoenix, Kevin Durant to Houston, and Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks to Los Angeles.
Also, despite Cleveland’s clear holes, are we sure giving up Garland and Allen, both in their mid-Nikola Jokić20s, for old LeBron is in their best interests? Or should the Cavs look for changes elsewhere?
But the Knicks are hoping for Giannis Antetokounmpo. Does it really make sense to blow their salaries and assets on a 40-year-old LeBron?
Bigs: Walker Kessler, Isaiah Stewart, Yves MissiAdvertisementThe free agent class got a jolt when Portland bought out Deandre Ayton, who shares an agent with Luka. The Lakers are expected to show interest. But the Trail Blazers waived Ayton for the same reason Phoenix wanted to trade him away: He’s flaky. Why would that change in Los Angeles? Veteran options at center include Brook Lopez or Clint Capela. But the Lakers don’t need to use the .1 million on just one player; they could split the MLE to chase multiple guys. Say, million for Lopez, and then .1 million for a non-big such as Bruce Brown or Larry Nance Jr.Advertisement

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