LeBron James‘ volatile situation with the Los Angeles Lakers is worth watching for the Miami Heat after they missed out on Kevin Durant.
The Achilles injuries to Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum and Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton have made the Eastern Conference wide open next season.
All the Heat have to do is rip it wide open by adding a significant upgrade.
Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley proposed a trade that would accomplish that, bringing James back to South Beach along with his son, Bronny James.
Buckley noted that his trade idea would only have a chance of happening if James forced a trade, which, at this point, has yet to happen.
Here is Buckley’s trade proposal:
Miami Heat receive: LeBron James, Bronny James and Dalton Knecht
Los Angeles Lakers receive: Andrew Wiggins, Terry Rozier, Jaime Jaquez Jr., a 2029 first-round pick and a 2030 first-round pick swap (top-three protected)
“Because Miami might be one move away from conquering the Eastern Conference, and even dream-big potential moves don’t come much bigger than this.
“The Heat’s supporting cast looks fully loaded—especially if they can coax a leap year out of Kel’el Ware and help first-round rookie Kasparas Jakučionis hit the ground running—and their collection of stars would rank among the East’s elites with James back in the constellation. The Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks might still prefer their current quartets, but who else in the conference has a foursome built to stack up against James, Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo and Norman Powell?”
Pat Riley Open to Trading for Aging Star But…
Heat president Pat Riley is very open to trading for an aging star. He made it clear during his end-of-season presser and even referenced James.
“For us, yes, if that player is the right name and the contract is the right length, I still think that an aging player can play,” Riley said in May. “Look at LeBron.”
However, when they were presented with the opportunity to trade for Durant, who is four years younger than James, the Heat did not go all-in.
Will they be as reluctant as they were in the Durant trade talks if James becomes available to them?
Heat Exec Says LeBron is Welcome to Return
There is a greater chance for James to reach the NBA Finals in a wide-open Eastern Conference than in the loaded Western Conference next season.
Despite the additions of center Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia, the Lakers are still not the favorites to come out of the West. The defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder are still the strong favorites to repeat next season, with the Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers close behind after their win-now moves this offseason.
Udonis Haslem, James’ former Heat teammate and currently the team’s vice president of basketball development, urged him to return to South Beach.
“You should want to put yourself in a position where you can win a championship and land the plane,” Haslem said on “NBA Today” on July 14. “That is not in L.A. I don’t give a damn who they bring to LA. That is not a championship roster right now with the L.A. Lakers. If LeBron James wants to put himself in a championship situation, then there has to be another opportunity out there that he needs to look for. I do know a place where he is welcome and he will always be welcome. Just to put that out there. You know what I’m saying.”
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