The LeBron James trade whispers could make a roaring return as the Los Angeles Lakers continue to struggle.
The Los Angeles Lakers' fast start to the season seems like a distant memory. Los Angeles has lost seven of their last 10 games and uncomfortable questions about their future are beginning to be discussed across the league. The biggest of which revolves around whether LeBron James will revisit the idea of being traded to another team with a better shot at winning the 2025 NBA Championship.
After both LeBron and the Lakers declined trade talks with the Golden State Warriors at last year's NBA Trade Deadline, it's natural to wonder if anything has changed on that front. And, according to recent reporting, that's a topic that is beginning to circulate across the league. But if LeBron would force a trade out of Los Angeles, the Lakers should be absolutely furious with the decision - especially with the way he essentially forced them to draft Bronny James in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Between the J.J. Redick hiring and the drafting of Dalton Knecht and Bronny, the way the Lakers have been built over the last six months is with LeBron very much in mind. If LeBron were to now go to management and ask for a trade, he would certainly be pulling the carpet from under the franchise and it would not be a great look.
Would LeBron James exert his power to force a trade one more time?
You can't help but wonder if this is a move LeBron would want to pursue after the team has struggled over the last couple of weeks. At the same time, there should be some context applied to this entire situation. The Lakers have struggled for just a few weeks. There's a realistic chance they could turn it around before the turn of the calendar. Then again, perhaps their hot start was just that and maybe this team is more of what we've seen from them over the last few weeks.
Either way, both the Lakers are in a difficult situation. But, make no mistake, LeBron would be doing the Lakers dirty for how they bent over backward during the offseason to keep him happy. At the same time, if LeBron is serious about winning another title before the end of his career, his best shot at doing that is probably on a different team.
After drafting Bronny during the offseason, the Lakers are probably thinking that LeBron is retiring as a Laker. Maybe that is not going to be the case after all. It should be noted that this is all speculation. And tomorrow, LeBron could shut all this speculation down. But, if we know anything about how LeBron operates, he does like to keep a bit of mystery around his future. If LeBron is indeed open business heading into the NBA Trade Deadline, it would add another level of excitement over the next couple of months.
We don't know if that will end up being the case for sure but the fact that there's even a small chance that he does get traded and the fact that there are already people talking about it makes it that much more of an intriguing possibility. And the Lakers, from all indications, should not only be upset but furious by this entire situation if this speculation holds any ounce of truth to it.