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Lakers send LeBron James back home in this trade package with Cavaliers

By Jason Reed

Mar 21, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) goes through his pregame ritual before a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 21, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) goes through his pregame ritual before a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /
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(Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images)
(Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images) /

Why the Los Angeles Lakers could say yes to this trade:

Of course, as already mentioned, the only way the Los Angeles Lakers are doing this is if the team gets a whiff that LeBron James is going to leave (or he forces his way out of Los Angeles) and they do not think the team is going to win a title if they do not trade him.

The appealing part of this trade is Collin Sexton, who was selected with the eighth overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft and is only 23 years old. Sexton only played 11 games in the 2021-22 season as he was injured in November and did not play again in the season.

Sexton is one of the more exciting young two-guards in the league and this would be a full commitment to the Lakers turning a new page from LeBron James. Sexton has showcased the ability to be a top scorer on a team and pairing a perimeter scorer like him with a big like Anthony Davis could lead to good things, especially considering Sexton is only going to get better with age and experience.

Sexton and Davis alone are not enough to win an NBA Championship barring a massive, unforeseen jump from Sexton. While Sexton could absolutely turn into a multi-time all-star, an All-NBA Third Team honor is probably his absolute ceiling, which is still really great.

The big picture here would be the cap space that the Lakers would get in the summer of 2023 to get help, whether that be another star such as Bradley Beal or quality depth.