Blockbuster NBA Trade Idea Sends Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James to Denver Nuggets
If LeBron James requests a trade from the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason, one analyst proposed that the Denver Nuggets should trade for the NBA icon.
Dan Favale of Bleacher Report proposed the following trade idea between the Lakers and Nuggets:
Denver Nuggets Receive: LeBron James, Bronny James
Los Angeles Lakers Receive: DaRon Holmes II, Jamal Murray, Peyton Watson, 2028 first-round pick swap
This trade idea would pair James with Nikola Jokic, the three-time MVP who is arguably the best player in the NBA right now.
James thought about signing with the Nuggets in 2018 before he joined the Lakers.
Los Angeles beat Denver in the 2020 Western Conference Finals, but the Nuggets defeated the Lakers in the 2023 Western Conference Finals and the first round of the 2024 playoffs.
“LeBron is a basketball sicko,” Favale wrote in his NBA column. “He has to see the value in joining forces with Jokic. Bronny is also coming with LeBron. So, problem solved! The resulting Nuggets team would be thinner by subbing out two rotation players (Murray and Watson) for one, but it’s miles from untenable following the additions of Bruce Brown and Tim Hardaway Jr. this offseason. Sending out Holmes would only sting if Jonas Valančiūnas really is a flight risk.
“This is another situation in which a team is swapping out youth for James entering his age-41 season. It is also another scenario in which said team might prefer this direction. Murray is set to begin his four-year, $207.8 million extension this coming season, and Watson is extension-eligible now. The Nuggets may welcome the extra long-term optionality that LeBron’s expiring deal would bring, especially with Christian Braun in line for a new deal.”
If James tells the Lakers he wants to get traded to the Nuggets, Los Angeles has to listen because LeBron has a no-trade clause in his contract.
The leading scorer in NBA history, James is still an elite offensive force despite being the oldest guy in the league. He averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.6 blocks last season and made the All-NBA Second Team.
A four-time MVP, a four-time champion and a four-time Finals MVP, James is 40 years old. He turns 41 in December.
The Lakers are building for the future with Luka Doncic, who is only 26, while James wants to win a championship next season.
With that said, it will be fascinating to see if James asks out of Los Angeles.
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