Blockbuster Trade Proposal Sees Lakers Move LeBron James to Disliked West Rival

Matt Levine | 3 Hours Ago

Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

One of the biggest storylines over the past week or so in the NBA has been about what the Los Angeles Lakers could do with star LeBron James. While James hasn't mentioned anything about wanting out of Los Angeles, there has been plenty of speculation about what his future holds.

With James only having a year or two left in the NBA before he retires, some have started to think about him moving on from the Lakers. Los Angeles hasn't been very good this season so instead of James wasting his last playing days on a sinking ship, maybe he could try for one more title.

In a new trade proposal by Eddie Bitar of Fadeaway World, the Lakers do indeed decide to trade James. They send him to a hated rival in the Western Conference, the Denver Nuggets.

Here is what the deal looks like:

Nuggets receive: LeBron James

Lakers receive: Michael Porter Jr., Christian Braun, Zeke Nnaji, 2031 First-Round Pick (DEN)

"The Denver Nuggets making a move for LeBron James would be a statement of their championship ambitions, taking their already stacked roster to another level. Pairing LeBron with reigning three-time MVP Nikola Jokic would give Denver an all-time duo capable of dominating both ends of the court."

"The 2031 first-round pick may seem far off, but it offers future value as the Nuggets’ championship window could begin to close as key players age. From a Lakers perspective, this package has some solid young talent, but it’s likely a tough sell without a more immediate star in return for LeBron."

Sending James to the Nuggets would hurt but the return would be good for the team. Landing Porter Jr. would be a nice consolation prize for Los Angeles, giving them a potential building block to work around.

Porter Jr. has tormented the Lakers in their playoff matchups so they know him very well. His size and shooting ability could be lethal for the Lakers to move forward with.

Braun would be a good role player to build the roster around and he showed his worth in the Nuggets title run a few years ago. His energy and defense could be fun for Los Angeles.

Additionally, the first-round pick from Denver could be valuable. Nobody knows where the Nuggets will be come 2031 so it could be a highly-coveted draft pick.

All in all, the Lakers likely won't trade James. But it certainly would be interesting if they even considered the notion.

More Lakers: Lakers' LeBron James Former Coach Realized Star 'Not God' After Slump This Year