LeBron James to the Thunder? Why the wild trade would make sense

Fans of the Oklahoma City Thunder should be aware of this: LeBron James will not, most likely won’t, be traded, perhaps won’t be traded. Perhaps.

 

That is the degree of ambiguity and conjecture surrounding the biggest brand in the NBA and one of the two best

players in the history of the league. The Los Angeles Lakers are struggling right

on the edge of the Western Conference playoff battle, while LeBron James

continues to defy the odds and has yet another All-NBA season under his belt.

Would the Lakers trade LeBron James?

Following another embarrassing loss for the Lakers, there were whispers that LeBron, the Lakers, or both parties were thinking about making a deal to transfer the 21-year-old, freshly named All-Star starter to a rival team. The whispers only got louder when LeBron missed the Lakers’ subsequent game.

 

These kinds of rumors are by no means uncommon; earlier in the season, Bill Simmons of The Ringer made some conjectures regarding potential LeBron deals, which sparked a frenzy of conjecture. This time, the rumors were different because they started with reporting from an NBA insider with a track record of reliability rather than conjecture

Within twenty-four hours, the James trade rumors took on a life of their own. However, LeBron’s agent and longtime buddy Rich Paul clarified that “LeBron won’t be traded, and we aren’t asking to be.”

 

It’s probable that the rumors will now stop. Although LeBron James was legally sign-and-traded from Cleveland to

Miami, he has never been dealt in his 21 seasons in the NBA. Even if LeBron and

Rich Paul put it out this time, there will still be embers smoldering until they can

ignite again. However, where there is smoke, there is frequently fire

It seems improbable that another team will trade for LeBron James. With a $51.4 million player option for the following season, he will make $47.6 million this season. Despite his victories over aging thus far, he is 39 years old and will eventually start to decline. Over the past few seasons, he has also had an increasing number of injuries.

 

In order for a team to acquire James through a trade, they would need to be a title contender who could add him to their roster without upsetting their core, have enough extra draft capital to make the Lakers’ investment worthwhile, and have enough time to not worry about James leaving in free agency this summer to play with his son Bronny James or somewhere else.

There are a few teams that could try and convince themselves that they fit that description, including the Golden State Warriors and Philadelphia 76ers. Ultimately, however, there is only one team in the entire NBA that truly fits that bill: the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Thunder would be the perfect LeBron trade destination

The Thunder have an abundance of additional draft picks, both in the short and long run. They can start a deal quickly because they have a sizable amount of expiring cash in Davis Bertans and Aleksej Pokusevski, plus they are well below the luxury tax threshold, which allows them to retain more income than they are paying out.

Assuming that Josh Giddey and Luguentz Dort are a part of the deal (you could swap Giddey out for another small salary, but Dort almost has to be in the deal to make the money work) the Thunder could deploy this lineup: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cason Wallace, Jalen Williams, LeBron James and Chet

Holmgren. Vasilije Micic, Isaiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins, Kenrich Williams and

Jaylin Williams would all be ready off the bench, with the Thunder instantly being

a contender to add players off of the buyout market.

 

The Thunder don’t have many weaknesses as a team, but adding LeBron James would erase their size and

strength one, at least in large part. He would give them a third unstoppable

force on offense, he’s a better shooter than Dort and Giddey, and his

playmaking would only help on a team with weapons at every position.

As no one expects the biggest name in basketball to stay in Oklahoma for an extended period of time, LeBron would

likely choose to go in free agency and join another team. However, the

Thunder would be the clear favorites to win the championship the next season if

he did play out the remaining year on his deal.

 

When you consider their long-term salary and the consequences of team-

building with the second-apron in place, adding an expensive “star” now is a

difficult ask. The Thunder will get expensive soon because their young stars

need to be paid. All of that is irrelevant with James because he will have moved

on by the time Holmgren and Williams need to be paid.

It’s an intriguing possibility to think about. It’s probably a pipe dream; although James can’t stop a deal legally, he has a lot of influence and might very well direct his path. However, the success and talent in Oklahoma City this season make it difficult to argue against him if he’s seeking for a serious shot at a championship.

 

To the Thunder, LeBron? It sounds good when said aloud.