Lakers Trade Pitch Grabs $163 Million Star for Luka Doncic and LeBron James

If one thing is certain around the NBA, it’s that the Los Angeles Lakers need to improve. However, there have been questions about what the front office plans to do after LeBron James’ recent comments. James’ comments are somewhat telling, as the Lakers might not be looking to pair him with the most talent because they don’t want to give up assets.

Frankly, it might not be the worst idea, either, as the Lakers don’t have to do everything for a 40-year-old.

On the other hand, one could make a strong argument that creating the best possible roster with James would still make sense, given that he’s clearly a top 10 to 15 player in the NBA.

It remains uncertain if the Lakers will change their ways anytime in the near future, but Sports Illustrated recently proposed a decent trade idea for them to pursue to do just that. The deal would include the Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat for Bam Adebayo.

Hawks Receive: Maxi Kleber

Heat Receive: Austin Reaves, Gabe Vincent, Dalton Knecht, and a top-three protected 20311st round pick (via LAL)

Lakers Receive: Bam Adebayo

“They get one of the elite defenders in the NBA and someone to pair with Doncic, even when James retires. The center position is suddenly a strength for Los Angeles and they improve their team and chances of making a run this season,” SI wrote.

Miami Lands a Potential Young Star

Landing Adebayo would be a home run for the Los Angeles Lakers, whether it be for the short or long term. However, for that trade to go through, the Miami Heat would have to agree to it.

According to Sports Illustrated’s reasoning, it could be due to them getting Reaves in return and hoping that he becomes a potential All-Star player.

“This is a way to free up future space by getting ahead and off of his contract early. Adebayo is a really good player, but if he does not get back to his level of play from when the Heat were in the Finals in 2023, that is not going to be a good deal to have on the books.

“Miami gets Reaves, who looks like a potential All-Star, and Vincent, who can give them depth on the bench and is plenty familiar with how they want to play. Knecht can give them shooting off the bench and having another draft asset is not a bad move for when another star player wants to be moved,” they added.

Would Miami Cut Ties With Adebayo?

The one issue with hoping that the Los Angeles Lakers’ young guard, Reaves, becomes an All-Star caliber player is the fact that they’d be moving on from an All-Star player already with Adebayo.

“Are they really going to move Bam? This move would make them worse this season, and Reaves and Tyler Herro don’t really seem like a great fit defensively together,” SI wrote.

It wouldn’t be too surprising to see the Lakers move on from someone like Reaves in a deal, and it’s possible that the Heat would trade Adebayo, but this type of deal might not make too much sense.

It’d be a great one for the Lakers, but a bad one for the Heat.

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