The last couple of weeks have left many speculating about whether LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers would be better off just getting a divorce. Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report suggested a trade pitch to send James to the New York Knicks in order to help get the job done.
LeBron wants to compete for a championship. The Lakers reportedly view him as an 'expiring contract.' There may just be a disconnect between these two parties in the direction which Los Angeles goes from here.
So, why not? Why not just sever the chord? The following was the suggested proposal to get a deal done between the two sides by Swartz.
For the sake of the argument here, Tyler Kolek will serve as the salary filler to help get this deal across the finish mark. The Lakers would firmly be able to transition to the Luka Doncic era with this trade.
The Knicks go all-in on a championship push with LeBron
New York's rationale for wanting to do this deal is rather obvious. James may be a short-term addition. However, the immediate future is what the Knicks should care most about.
The Eastern Conference is wide open in 2025-26 after injuries to Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum. The biggest competition for the Knicks next season will probably be James' old team, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
New York has coveted the all-time great as far back as 2010, when they were one of the several teams who lined up in free agency to acquire him before the four-time champion took his talents to South Beach. LeBron would immediately be one of the biggest name to wear a Knicks jersey in franchise history.
A core of him, Jalen Brunson, and Karl-Anthony Towns should be more than enough to claim the status of overwhelming favorites in next year's Eastern Conference. Helping to bring a championship to New York as his swan song would be a great story for James.
Lakers get the opportunity for some much-needed answers
The return package in this trade deal involving James actually looks really good for the Lakers. It may not feel that way at first, but there is enough reason to talk yourself into this one if you're Rob Pelinka.
Adding OG Anunoby takes away from the financial flexibility the Lakers have prioritized. However, it also secures them a perfect 3-and-d player who is an absolute star in his role. The Lakers get a much-needed point of attack defender and someone who can play the perfect brand of low maintenance, off-ball offense next to Doncic.
Mitchell Robinson also offers Los Angeles a much better backup at center than Jaxson Hayes for next season. Robinson should fit well with Doncic as a lob threat offensively and rim protector defensively.
The Lakers also get the added bonus of testing the waters on the ceiling of Austin Reaves as the second option next to Luka before an approaching need to hand him a new contract. That could either save them a lot of money, or they get added reassurance in their decision to pay Reaves.
When keeping in mind that James will likely only be around for one to two years for the Knicks, getting all of this in return for sacrificing the better player now is strong asset management. This is a win-win trade.