The Los Angeles Lakers’ fanbase is in a state of near-constant alarm, as the latest quotes from LeBron James make it seem as if he is closer than ever to shutting down his basketball career via retirement and ending the team’s chances of winning a championship in the next few seasons.
As such, some are coming up with all sorts of creative ways to get James offloaded somewhere else in order to recoup assets. With the Lakers fresh off getting annihilated by the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals, the idea of making changes might appeal to a good contingent of the fanbase.
A trade, however, would be an extremely unorthodox move that might not set up either franchise for long-term success. Based on some of the latest projections from the button-down mind of Nick Wright, some Lakers supporters have some unusual ideas brewing in their heads.
Wright proposed an insane deal that sends James to the Warriors for a package centered around Jonathan Kuminga, Jordan Poole, and Moses Moody. Does this trade help anyone? It seems like both teams are getting the shorter end of the stick in this deal.
"The Warriors starting lineup would be Steph, Klay, LeBron, Draymond & Looney, with Wiggins and GP2 off the bench. That team wins the title."
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 24, 2023
- Nick Wright
(Via @FTFonFS1 ) pic.twitter.com/hxl2Q4qrQz
Los Angeles Lakers: Nick Wright trades LeBron James to the Warriors.
From the Lakers’ point of view, they would giving up the best player in the deal and be acquiring a trio of Warriors who have seen their value decrease heavily in the last few months. Neither Kuminga nor Moody has taken the next step the Warriors expected from them in Year 2.
Poole is still a solid microwave scorer in this league, but his poor postseason play illustrated just how low the valleys in his game can be. As the centerpiece of a trade for a player like James, Poole would be an underwhelming addition to a Lakers roster with some holes.
Golden State, meanwhile, would trade their three best young assets and move Andrew Wiggins to the bench to accommodate James, who will dominate the ball take chances away from Steph Curry. That roster will bring new meaning to the term “salary cap hell.”
The Lakers will likely make some sort of big trade, as the roster showed some serious issues that are not going to resolve themselves without some action from Rob Pelinka and the rest of the front office. A deal for LeBron centered around Poole and some bench talent, however, might not be the best way to get this team back into the championship window.
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