Why Lakers Need to Trade LeBron James to Warriors to Save Their Future

Should the league's oldest player be offloaded this year?

Oct 15, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) defends against Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) during the third quarter of their preseason game at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images / Candice Ward-Imagn Images

Should the league's oldest player be moved this year?

39-year-old Los Angeles Lakers All-Star power forward LeBron James is submitting another solid year, although the first time in a while he seems to have taken a significant step backwards on offense.

The four-time league MVP just signed an appetizing new multi-year deal with L.A. in the 2024 offseason, and is still averaging an entirely respectable 23.0 points on .495/.359/.762 shooting splits, 9.1 assists and 8.0 rebounds for the 13-11 Lakers, the No. 8 seed in a talented Western Conference. He has appeared in 23 of the team's 24 games so far this year, but will miss his second straight bout on Friday night with a sore left foot.

James has long been floated as a potential trade fit for the Golden State Warriors, a longtime playoff rival of James' during his tenures with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Lakers. James has gone 2-3 against Golden State. Future Hall of Famers Stephen Curry, 36, and Draymond Green, 34, are no spring chickens themselves. The team seems anxious to maximize its youth as assets and keep a window open for Curry as long as he remains at an All-NBA level. To do that, Warriors team president Mike Dunleavy Jr. should try to make a bid for a star. The 14-10 Warriors are currently pretty solid, but could certainly benefit from the addition of James as a scorer, rebounder and passer.

During a Friday assessment of the state of the league, ESPN's Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps took stock of some of the juicier trade stories and rumors this year so far. Naturally, they took stock of the Warriors' and Lakers' relative interest in a possible James deal.

"It's a fun parlor game to consider whether LeBron might change teams one last time," Windhorst writes. "You don't have to be a pro basketball reporter to see the chemistry he had with Stephen Curry in last summer's Olympics and to figure out how the Golden State Warriors could put together an offer."

"But simply, it's just a game," Windhorst adds. "James has repeatedly made two things clear both in public and behind the scenes: He wants to be a Laker, and the trades hhe wants involve the Lakers making roster upgrades around him. James had chances at last season's trade deadline and during his unrestricted free agency to consider a move. There was no drama, as he quickly and repeatedly pledged to stay."

James actually took a marginal discount in signing a still very lucrative two-year, $101.4 million deal to remain in Los Angeles through the 2025-26 season, although he has a player option he could decline that year.

"Jonathan Kuminga is in a vital time in his tenure with the Warriors," Windhorst allowed. "Over the past two weeks, coach Steve Kerr has put him in the starting lineup and boosted his minutes, touches and shots."

Kuminga, 22, was selected with the No. 7 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. He's averaging 15.2 points on .444/.310/.582 shooting splits, 4.5 rebounds and 1.8 dishes a night. He's a solid, athletic player with some upside — although whether he can ever blossom into an All-Star remains an open question.

"Warriors owner Joe Lacob still has an affinity for Kuminga, league sources told ESPN, even as Kerr seems to run hot and cold with him. But a strong message came this fall when Kuminga and the team didn't agree to a contract extension," Windhorst observed. "If the Warriors do pull off a significant deal before the Feb. 6 trade deadline, it's hard to see it not including Kuminga."

The Lakers, armed with James and fellow future Hall of Famer Anthony Davis, don't seem likely to compete for anything more than a play-in seed any time soon. Even a trade to improve their current club (L.A. has two first round picks it could use in any deal, plus probable All-Rookie First Team shooting guard Dalton Knecht) doesn't seem likely to move the Lakers into that West top tier led by the Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks. Moving James, who still looks like at an All-Star in a record-tying 22nd season, is the exact kind of factory reset move that could help improve the team's timeline. The Warriors have the youth, contracts, and draft equity to make a deal worthwhile for both sides.

More Lakers: Former Los Angeles Big Man Sent to East Contender in Massive Trade