Once again, the Los Angeles Lakers’ season has them in the middle of the pack in the race to the NBA Playoffs. LeBron James’ Lakers sit at 13-11, good enough for eighth place in the Western Conference. While J.J. Redick deserves patience as he embarks on his first season as head coach of the Lakers, the face of the franchise is 39 years old, and he might not be satisfied with complacency.
While LeBron may never request it, and even if he did, he may not publically acknowledge it, there’s always the possibility that the future Hall of Famer ends his career in a different uniform than the one he currently wears. In fact, the latest NBA trade rumors indicate another contender has LeBron at the top of their wish list.
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Warriors still plotting LeBron James trade with Los Angeles Lakers
Chances are, any LeBron James trade would likely include his son Bronny James as part of the package too. Not to mention, LeBron and his family are comfortably settled down in the Los Angeles area, so any trade would likely keep him nearby, possibly still in the state of California.
This is why the latest Los Angeles Lakers rumors could have some truth to them, especially considering the source.
According to ESPN’s NBA insider Brian Windhorst, the Golden State Warriors have identified LeBron as a “dream” acquisition to form a new big 3 to pair with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.
The Warriors have been really active in trying to look for a star player. If Jimmy Butler is available, and the Warriors feel like they need to upgrade, that could be. But who else is on their list? LeBron James.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst on LeBron James trade
The Warriors have dreamed of pairing LeBron with Steph Curry and Draymond Green since last year. That was before LeBron played with Steve Kerr and Steph Curry and won the gold medal over the summer.
So they will definitely monitor the situation and I don’t think they do anything without knowing this door is locked. But I would just say with LeBron, it’s up to him. He has a no trade clause and he has given no indication he wants the Lakers to do anything but upgrade the roster they’ve got, not that he wants to go anywhere.
The Warriors can try all they want, but as Windhorst indicated, the final decision comes down to LeBron James, who sports a no-trade clause. As mentioned, the future Hall of Famer hasn’t requested a trade from the Los Angeles Lakers, and he’s never changed teams mid-season. Yet, unless the Lakers emerge as top championship contenders, the idea of LeBron getting traded won’t fade away any time soon.
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