LeBron James’ return to the Miami Heat is part of a trade package that Nick Wright has shared.
The NBA trade deadline is in one week, and there is a lot of trade excitement in the league. On “First Things First,” NBA analyst Nick Wright made trade predictions for LeBron James. He shared a scenario in which LeBron rejoins the Miami Heat, the team for which he won two championships.Wright also suggested some trades to send LeBron to New York and Philadelphia. He said the Knicks could trade Julius Randle and Evan Fournier with two first-round picks. In addition, he posited the 76ers acquiring LeBron by sending Tobias Harris, Furkan Korkmaz, and one first-round pick. All these offers are really bad, but the Heat one is arguably the most unfair. The Portland Trail Blazers were resisting acquiring Tyler Herro for Damian Lillard, so why would the Lakers accept that for LeBron James, the greatest player of this generation? Duncan Robinson’s contract has been considered one of the worst around the league for years, and even a hot shooting season doesn’t change that.
Teams would choose to accept an offer where LeBron switches teams in exchange for Robinson’s contract, and we’re meant to believe this? It’s simply incomprehensible.
Is It True That The Miami Heat Could Entice The Lakers With An Offer?
With the assets at their disposal, the Heat won’t be able to pursue LeBron James. For financial reasons, Herro and Robinson would need to be included in the deal, but the Lakers believed they could also acquire a player with Nikola Jovic’s potential to be a future star. That would fairly evenly distribute the Lakers’ roster around Anthony Davis, but it’s still not a good enough package for a player with LeBron James’ name attached to it.
The Heat would probably offer draft picks to the Lakers as well, but because of LeBron’s advanced age, they might be able to settle for just one unprotected pick. Does the Heat really need to strip its roster of players for a half-season of LeBron at that point? James has the option to test free agency this season, and the Heat may decide not to sign him again if he wishes to play in the league where Bronny was selected.
It’s a fantastic story. Since LeBron left the team, the Heat have advanced to two NBA Finals but have lost both times. Ironically, in 2020, LeBron himself was one of those times. He could rejoin the Heat and, like James, return to the Cavaliers.
Given James’ advanced age and impending retirement, any price the Lakers would set for LeBron would actually be significantly higher than anything the Heat would be willing to forfeit. With his mid-season departure from a city where he and his entire family are based, James has never been traded in his professional career, and it doesn’t appear that he will now.
