Should the Lakers reset and trade James to the 76ers?
Naturally, the 76ers would and should have zero qualms about opening their door for LeBron James. However, what possible justification could there be for the Lakers to give up on their James-AD core and rebuild when they don’t have the draft capital to create the necessary wiggle room to intentionall bottom out?
In all reality, the most tactful move for Los Angeles to return to contention is to simply retool the roster on the margins and surround their superstar duo with, well, players that do fit the team and not the spotlight. The Lakers’ front office has been incredibly hit-and-miss on their team-building endeavors since winning the championship four years ago — and that should be the biggest point of emphasis for the league’s most decorated franchise.
Realistically speaking, the 76ers absolutely do not have the most appealing package possible for LeBron. Saying otherwise would be disingenuous. Tobias Harris, salary fillers, and first-round picks that are very unlikely to be near the lottery can only get you so far. And James isn’t the caliber of player you should and will be getting with spare assets.
Even if the Lakers operate in the extremes, they are far more likely to exhaust all options to make win-now moves and ameliorate the roster to bolster their title bid. But of course, crazier things have happened in this league, and we have already seen LeBron get tired of front office before. Should he eventually grow exasperated of LA, the 76ers should come calling for his services and push everything to be in front of what should be a very long queue.
Just don’t come out with this offer. It’s too underwhelming that it’s almost a sacrilege to someone of his caliber.