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Lakers, Bulls, Wizards NBA Trade Idea Pairs LeBron James With Talented Center

The Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls, and Washington Wizards would be interesting trade partners.

Joey Linn

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. / Andrew Wevers-Imagn Images
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The Los Angeles Lakers are likely one or two moves away from being serious contenders in the Western Conference. While the duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis always has the potential to make noise, they are coming off a first round exit that showed a real need for roster upgrades.

The NBA offseason can always produce unexpected moves, as was recently seen with Karl-Anthony Towns getting traded to the New York Knicks. Jovan Buha of The Athletic stated on his podcast earlier this offseason that Washington Wizards center Jonas Valanciunas is a player on James’ list of preferred targets for the Lakers.

“There was some interest," Buha said of the Lakers and Valanciunas. "He was on LeBron's list, so I think the Lakers will probably revisit that."

In a recent article, Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus proposed a major blockbuster trade that lands the Lakers the talented center.

Los Angeles Lakers receive: Malcolm Brogdon (from Wizards), Jonas Valančiūnas (from Wizards), Jevon Carter (from Bulls)

Washington Wizards receive: D'Angelo Russell (from Lakers), Gabe Vincent (from Lakers), Jalen Hood-Schifino (from Lakers), Christian Wood (from Lakers), Cam Reddish (from Lakers), 2029 first-rounder (top-five-protected), $9.9 million trade exception (Jonas Valančiūnas), $5.3 million trade exception (Johnny Davis), $3.8 million trade exception (Malcolm Brogdon)

Chicago Bulls receive: Johnny Davis (from Wizards), Patrick Baldwin Jr. (from Wizards), $1.2 million trade exception (Jevon Carter)

Bleacher Report detailed who is going where in this scenario, including the trade exceptions and where they come from. As the breakdown shows, the Lakers land Valančiūnas, Brogdon, and Carter.

Both Chicago and Washington are amid rebuilds, which makes them ideal trade partners for a team like the Lakers.

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Joey Linn
JOEY LINN

Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.

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