As of this moment, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are in a holding pattern. Neither side is blinking, essentially disregarding rumors of a potential trade. But reports from behind the scenes point to increasing tension within their relationship. The biggest holdup for James’ exit might very well be his unwillingness to leave Los Angeles.
James is 40 years old and has settled into the city. Although he wants to get at least one more ring before retiring, he would love to do it where he has resided for the past eight years. Given James’ strained relationship with the Lakers but affinity for the city, it has analysts wondering if a trade to the Los Angeles Clippers makes sense. One of James’ biggest supporters in the national media space, Nick Wright, has come out to explain why he isn’t a huge fan of the idea; and it has all to do with Kawhi Leonard and James Harden.
What would a LeBron James trade to Clippers look like?
In Wright’s eyes, the Lakers would likely want Leonard to come back on the other end of a trade for James. That would leave LeBron without Kawhi on the Clippers, making the team “definitively worse” than the current Lakers team.
Wright then explores the idea of a trade not involving Kawhi, and instead featuring other pieces of the roster. He isn’t a fan of that either, mainly because it would dilute the talent on the roster. Plus, he doesn’t trust Harden to deliver in the postseason as part of a “Big 3“.
“If it’s not for Kawhi and you’re trading away all your spare pieces, essentially. So you have James Harden, who is a historic playoff backwards guy. And Kawhi, who is a known definitive injury risk… Yeah, I don’t like that. Is that better than what the Lakers have?“
The idea of a starting lineup of Harden, Leonard, James, Derrick Jones Jr. and Ivica Zubac doesn’t excite Wright. It’s probably not a championship contender, which is what James needs at this point in his career.
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