Even if you’re not a big fan of LeBron James, you have to admit that he’s just wasting the final years of his NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers. The team isn’t good enough, and it won’t be for the foreseeable future.
James deserves better. He should be playing for a contending team, somewhere where his MVP-caliber numbers actually contribute to winning, rather than just helping him chase Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the all-time scorers’ list.
With that in mind, some around the league believe it’s just a matter of time before James’ patience runs out. And if that happens, we should all keep an eye on the Miami Heat as a potential suitor for his services.
NBA Rumors: LeBron James Could Go Back To The Heat
(Transcript via Sean Deveney — Heavy)
“Eastern Conference GM: ‘They’re in the right position to make a deal like that. It did not end great between them (when James left the Heat as a free agent in 2014), but the hatchet has been buried enough. There could be an issue with, if you get LeBron and you get Rich Paul and all the Klutch (Sports, James’ agency) stuff, that is not going to mix with Pat Riley in Miami. But if he wants to win in a place he likes being, the Heat would take him back.’
Potential deal: The Lakers would have to be willing to take back the contracts of either Kyle Lowry ($29 million for next season) or Duncan Robinson ($37.5 million over the next two seasons with a partial guarantee in 2025-26) to make a trade work. But the prize would be Tyler Herro, whose four-year, $120 million extension kicks in next season. A package of Herro, Robinson and, if the Lakers need sweetener, a first-round pick or forward Nikola Jovic might be the best the Lakers could do for James.”
Of course, it’s unlikely that Rob Pelinka will accept this deal unless his situation with LeBron becomes unsustainable. But we’ve seen The King feud with GMs way too many times already, so it wouldn’t be all that shocking.
