Miami Heat: 4 Completely unlikely but fun trades to get LeBron James back to Miami

Four completely unlikely but fun blockbuster trades that would lead LeBron James back to the Miami Heat.

Thirty-seven games into the 2023-24 NBA regular season, the Los Angeles Lakers are 18-19 and are holding onto the final Play-In Tournament spot in the Western Conference standings. Less than a month away from the NBA Trade Deadline, the Lakers are a team that very much needs to make a difference-making move if they're going to have any shot of moving back up the standings.

At least for right now, the Lakers don't have the look of a championship contender. For LeBron James, who could opt out of the final year of his contract with the Lakers, this is not good news. Short of the Lakers pulling off something short of miraculous, it's hard to envision how the Lakers emerge as contenders this season. In fact, with how average the Lakers have been over the last few years, it's not outlandish to believe that perhaps it's time for LeBron to make one last big career move in an attempt to win another championship or two.

If that is indeed going through his head, what better move to make than one that lands him back in the place where the winning of championships all started - with the Miami Heat. It's been 10 years since LeBron originally signed with the Heat and maybe ending it where it started (along with repairing some of the broken relationships) would be a great storyline for his career.

As unexpected as it may seem, it does make some sense. With that in mind, let's explore four fun trades, albeit unlikely, that would help get LeBron back to South Beach.

The Miami Heat send serious draft capital in exchange for LeBron James

In this first hypothetical LeBron James to the Miami Heat trade, the Los Angeles Lakers would receive Duncan Robinson, Nikola Jovic, Kyle Lowry, and two first-round picks. This may seem like a lot coming from Miami, especially if LeBron pressures the Lakers on leaving during the offseason anyway, but securing a player like LeBron is too good for the Heat to mess around with.

This is a deal that ensures the Lakers pull the trigger on a deal and gives them not only draft capital for the future but also two quality pieces that they could either use as trade chips or parts that could help them remain competitive over the next couple of seasons in the post-LeBron era.

Who knows what the goal would be for the Lakers in the years after LeBron, but this is a deal that gives them way more value than they probably should be getting in a trade for a player that could hit the free-agency market in a few months.