Lakers: Reporter Pitches Win-Now Trade Destination For LeBron James Next Summer

Will LBJ actually force his way out of town if LA doesn't improve?

After LeBron James voiced his displeasure with his current Los Angeles Lakers team Wednesday, the trade possibility floodgates have been opened, with a variety of fascinating clubs.

Would the 18-time All-Star really demand to be shipped out of town once he becomes trade-eligible during the 2023 offseason? And would he be amenable to returning to the Eastern Conference?

Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice proposes that the team he covers, a club so classic it has its own original theme song, could represent a fascinating destination for the 38-year-old combo forward.

James, of course, is not trade-eligible until the 2023 offseason, so this deal would need to happen after 2022-23 concludes.

As Neubeck notes, James did take a courtesy free agent meeting in 2018, though he had his sights set on the Lake Show. Neubeck's proposed deal: shipping out the expiring contract of Tobias Harris, and the rookie scale deal of rising star shooting guard Tyrese Maxey, plus future draft picks (the team's next available, tradable future first would be a 2029 selection). A "Big Three" of Joel Embiid (the two-time MVP runner-up), LeBron James, and James Harden, plus some of Philly's extant role player depth, could certainly elevate an already-good Sixers club close to contender status. 

James would thrive alongside elite, sharpshooting ball handler, and Harden showed a willingness to pair with another high-level playmaker during his Houston Rockets tenure next to Chris Paul.

Sixers team president Daryl Morey is an expert at operating around the margins to uncover solid role player depth, and he would probably be more adept at surrounding them with good, cheap help than, say, Rob Pelinka has been for James and Anthony Davis.

From a Lakers perspective, this would officially reset the team's focus around Anthony Davis once and for all. Could LA trust AD to stay healthy? Clearly not. Perhaps it would try to build a young, fun team around Maxey, and move to flip Davis and the Harris contract for more future draft equity. 

Of course, should the 20-14 Sixers actually win the Finals this season, perhaps the club would be reticent to surrender its championship-level depth for an aging superstar. Given that the team is the fifth seed in the East, and its two priciest players historically play worse in the postseason than they do in the regular reason, I'm dubious that they're actually going to survive a run through a loaded Eastern Conference.

The Lakers could find trade partners elsewhere with more draft capital to burn (the New York Knicks, anyone?), but a young All-Star-level guard prospect in Maxey could be quite enticing.