Analyst Suggests Wild Cavaliers, LeBron James Trade Idea

Could the Cleveland Cavaliers hook up on a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers to acquire LeBron James and Bronny James?

Nov 1, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (left) and guard Bronny James (right) during warm up before a game agaonst the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images / John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Does there exist a world in which LeBron James could rejoin the Cleveland Cavaliers?

Rumors are swirling that James could ultimately request a trade from the Los Angeles Lakers between now and the February trade deadline, and it would certainly be fitting to see the 40-year-old end his career where it all began.

Of course, any trade where the Cavaliers potentially acquire James would also have to include his son, Bronny James. Is that something Cleveland would consider?

Josh Cornelissen of King James Gospel explores the possibility.

"The Cavaliers are in a solid financial situation, and that includes room under the first luxury tax apron. That would allow them to make a trade with a team over the first tax apron that cannot take back more salary than they send out," Cornelissen wrote. "Whatever package the Cavaliers build could total less than the salaries of LeBron and son, making a deal financially possible."

But just because it's financially possible does not mean it's likely.

Cornelissen runs through what would need to happen in order for Cleveland to land James, and it would likely consist of trading away Jarrett Allen as well as some other salaries on top. He also suggests a trade that includes Caris LeVert, Max Strus, Dean Wade and Georges Niang.

However, it's obviously difficult to envision the Lakers biting on that sort of return.

Cornelissen goes on to acknowledge that the chances of James returning home are slim and that it probably wouldn't even be in the Cavs' best interest.

"In the end, this idea is lovely but unlikely," he concluded. "Yes, it would be a storybook moment for LeBron to return home with his son for another season or two before he retires a Cavalier, passing the torch to Bronny. Yet writing that story would probably make the Cavaliers a worse a team now and shorten their window, making this trade more of a fantasy than anything else."

At this point, it's hard to imagine James finishing his career anywhere other than Los Angeles, but stranger things have happened.