The Lakers have been on a rollercoaster.
Los Angeles started the 2024-25 season 3-0, then lost back-to-back games. It went on to have a six-game winning streak, only to follow it up by losing seven of its next nine games. Sitting at 13-11 and the current No. 8 seed in the Western Conference playoffs, it’s easy to start to wonder what moves the franchise can make to either turn this season around or start prepping for the future.
LeBron James became a free agent after the 2023-24 season but re-signed with the Lakers on a two-year deal. Los Angeles ended up drafting his oldest son, Bronny, in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft, and the duo made history by playing together in the first game of the season.
It seems unlikely, but James is one of Los Angeles’ best trade chips. Sure, his best basketball may be behind him, but he is still one of the league’s best players and remains a ticket seller. With L.A. sitting precariously in the back half of the Western Conference playoff field, is a monumental trade of one of the greatest players ever to take the court going to happen?
Here are the latest rumors surrounding James.
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LeBron James trade rumors
This isn’t the first time trade rumors around James started swirling. As recently as February, there was chatter that the 20-time NBA All-Star could be headed to the Warriors to give them a playoff push. That obviously never happened, but a James trade became much more realistic, as opposed to something fans would do on ESPN’s Trade Machine trying to see what it would cost their team to acquire James.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst hosts The Hoop Collective Podcast. On an episode on Dec. 9, the NBA analyst said that with the Lakers currently sitting in eighth in a deep Western Conference and their defense ranking toward the bottom of the league, it’s hard to project the franchise into a contender.
“I would be lying if I said that there haven’t been some conversations in the league, ‘Would LeBron at some point this year revisit that [being traded]?'” Windhorst said. “Because you remember last year at the trade deadline, the Warriors called.”
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Trades are much easier to pull off in the offseason as teams still have time to make moves to get under the luxury tax or at least minimize the hit they take from it. James was linked to the Warriors in February, and the move would theoretically make sense. He would get to stay close enough to family in LA and the trade could even include Bronny so that they could continue playing together.
The problem is that both L.A. and Golden State have minimal money to spend or take on this season. With an extremely difficult financial strategy to navigate and the Lakers’ limited trade assets, a trade isn’t impossible but extremely improbable, according to Windhorst.
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Will the Lakers trade LeBron James?
Never say never. A trade would be difficult, but it is also early December. Los Angeles has played 24 games and has over half the season left to go.
The Lakers have shown they can go on streaks and need to play more consistently. The Western Conference was going to be difficult this year with the rise of the Thunder and the likes of the Grizzlies, Rockets and Mavericks figuring things out.
For now, it doesn’t seem like James will be moved, but a few more months of the team underperforming and trade talks could ramp up even further.
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