This blockbuster NBA trade idea sends LeBron and Bronny James to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Jarrett Allen to the Los Angeles Lakers.
A blockbuster NBA trade idea sending LeBron and Bronny James to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Jarrett Allen to the Los Angeles Lakers has been created by Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report.
Pincus proposed the following sign-and-trade idea between the Cavaliers and Lakers:
The Cleveland Cavaliers receive: LeBron James, Bronny James, Deandre Ayton, Jake LaRavia, Dalton Knecht, $28 million trade exception
The Los Angeles Lakers receive: Jarrett Allen, Dennis Schröder, Dean Wade, Sam Merrill
If LeBron doesn't retire from the NBA this summer, most people believe the NBA legend will either re-sign with the Lakers or return to the Cavaliers for a third and final stint.
This trade idea has LeBron and Bronny coming home to play with Donovan Mitchell, James Harden and Evan Mobley and Allen going to the Lakers to play with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
"The deal would be consummated on July 6, after the NBA's annual moratorium," Pincus wrote. "The Cavaliers trigger a first-apron hard cap at $209.1 million—which means players like Allen, Schröder, and Merrill must go to get payroll down and allow Cleveland to flesh out reasonable bench depth.
"LeBron inks for three years, required in a sign-and-trade deal, to a contract worth $63 million that pays $20 million for 2026-27. LeBron and the Cavaliers could have a behind-the-scenes agreement that LeBron plays only a couple of seasons but receives his full compensation—similar to what the San Antonio Spurs did years ago with Tim Duncan at the end of his career."
In two stints with the Cavaliers, LeBron averaged 27.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.8 blocks per game. He won two MVPs and one Finals MVP and made 10 All-Star teams with his hometown club.
The Cavaliers beat the 73-9 Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals. LeBron and Co. are the only team in NBA history to erase a 3-1 series deficit in the NBA Finals.
LeBron averaged 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, 8.9 assists, 2.6 steals and 2.3 blocks per game in the 2016 NBA Finals. He was named Finals MVP.
While golfing with Bob Does Sports, LeBron spoke about how special the 2016 NBA championship with his hometown Cavaliers was.
"Winning the first one was more weight off my shoulders, but winning in Cleveland was a goal that I wanted to do," LeBron said. "I needed to close that chapter and that's why I went back. I wanted to close that chapter. I always wanted to win one back home and obviously the organization never won one, and 50-plus years for the city alone, not winning a championship, not just basketball, but the city alone.
"So, me going back there, that was my main mission was like, I want to win one for this city and for this state as well. So the first one weight off my shoulder, it solidified me being what I thought I always was, but the one in Cleveland was probably the most special one."
LeBron last played for Cleveland during the 2017-18 season. The Cavaliers lost to the Warriors in the 2018 NBA Finals and LeBron left home for the Lakers in free agency shortly after.
Arguably the greatest player in NBA history, LeBron is a four-time MVP, four-time champion and four-time Finals MVP. He is the NBA's all-time leader in points, field goals, games, minutes and wins.
The Cavaliers got swept by the New York Knicks in the 2026 conference finals. They clearly need LeBron to reach the promised land again. A potential starting lineup of Harden, Mitchell, LeBron, Mobley and Ayton looks really, really dangerous on paper.
For the Lakers this season, LeBron averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game. He's still an elite offensive weapon despite being the oldest active player in the NBA.
It would be a great story for LeBron to end his historic NBA career in Cleveland with his son. Let's see if it happens.
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