“I always believed that I’d return to Cleveland and finish my career there. I just didn’t know when,” LeBron James once told Sports Illustrated. Well, that “when” might be now. LeBron just exercised his $52.6 million player option with the Lakers—no trade request, no drama—but the league isn’t sitting still. At 40 years old, with over 65,000 career minutes on his legs and still making the All-NBA Second Team last season, LeBron isn’t slowing down. Teams know it, and they’re already making moves to try and land the King.
Bleacher Report recently floated a wild three-team trade that would send LeBron James and Bronny back to Cleveland. In this scenario, the Cavs land the James duo, while the Lakers get Darius Garland, De’Andre Hunter, and Max Strus to reshape their backcourt around Luka Dončić. Brooklyn picks up Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent, and a 2031 first-rounder from L.A. It’s a clean star-for-star shuffle that gives everyone something to build on. And now, just when you think it couldn’t get bolder, another trade idea has entered the mix.
Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz cooked up a bold four-team trade proposal. In this scenario, the Cavaliers would receive LeBron James, Bronny James, and a 2027 first-round pick (top-2 protected from Dallas via the Hornets). The Lakers would get Darius Garland and Max Strus. Charlotte would land Jarrett Allen, while Brooklyn walks away with Grant Williams, Dean Wade, and a 2027 lottery-protected first-round pick from Miami (via the Hornets). It’s a blockbuster in every sense—and if it goes through, it might just rewrite the Cavs future.
This DIABOLICAL four-team trade proposal from Greg Swartz sees Bronny and LeBron get traded to Cleveland for a fairytale ending
The Hornets get Jarrett Allen, who “could play as a lob-catcher from LaMelo Ball and a defensive anchor”, while the Cavs would start Evan Mobley at… pic.twitter.com/TCPTQXZZgb
— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) July 28, 2025
For the Cavs, making this trade would mean a major lineup shift—most likely moving Evan Mobley to the starting center role. “Cleveland had a net rating of plus-12.0 with Mobley at the five last season, ranking in the 95th percentile,” Greg Swartz noted. He added, “Swapping Allen out allows the Cavs to keep De’Andre Hunter and pick up a future first-round pick they can use to add young talent or flip in a future trade. The Cavaliers would then have $7.6 million left to sign three players.” It sounds tempting—but pulling it off is far from simple.
In fact, some say it’s nearly impossible. During a recent appearance on ESPN Cleveland, Brian Windhorst shut it down, saying, “And if the Lakers are trading LeBron James, they’re going to want really good stuff for it. With a straight face, I can’t say that it’s impossible, but you have to understand, they can’t feasibly trade for him.” And even if the Lakers were open, the Cavs face a brutal math problem. In 2026-27, Cleveland is projected to have $240 million in salary and is once again expected to be a second apron team. To make it work, they’d have to shed nearly $20 million more in salary—likely needing a team like Brooklyn, with $28 million in cap space, just to complete the deal.
Is LeBron James joining the Nuggets?
Who wouldn’t want to see LeBron James and Nikola Jokic on the same team? That idea went from fantasy to semi-plausible the moment Jokic’s agent, Miško Raznatovic, dropped that Instagram post. Posing on a yacht in St. Tropez with LeBron and Maverick Carter, Raznatovic captioned the photo: “The summer of 2025 is the perfect time to make big plans for the fall of 2026!” Naturally, fans went into overdrive. LeBron is entering the final season of his contract with the Lakers, and reports say L.A. isn’t exactly tripping over themselves to bring him back. He’ll be 41 next summer, but if he delays retirement, he’s still going to be one of the most valuable free agents on the market.
So could Denver actually land him? Well, there are a few ways that could go down. The easiest? LeBron signs a veteran minimum deal with the Nuggets in 2026. That’s assuming he puts winning over a paycheck, which—at this stage—might not be far-fetched. But if he doesn’t want to take a huge pay cut, then a sign-and-trade could be the answer. One possible scenario? LeBron to Denver for Aaron Gordon and Cameron Johnson. There’s also the “salary dump” route—Denver ships out both those guys for draft picks and clears the cap space. It sounds wild, but after a photo like that and considering the moves the Lakers are making, it doesn’t seem as far-fetched as it once did.
And speaking of the Lakers, they’ve been acting a little… noncommittal. Rob Pelinka added Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart, and Jake LaRavia, but didn’t extend LeBron or even re-sign Dorian Finney-Smith, who walked in free agency. “Very clearly, the Lakers are trying to preserve their flexibility into the future, 2026-27. Right or wrong, that is very clearly the plan,” said Trevor Lane. Some even speculate Pelinka might be angling for Jokic to hit the market. So what if LeBron goes to Denver and Jokic ends up in L.A.? Miško’s post might just be cryptic foreshadowing. Nothing’s confirmed—LeBron hasn’t demanded a trade—but the tea leaves? They’re steeping hard.
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