If LeBron James returned to Cavs, how would the trade look?

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LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers. Photo credit JEFF HAYNES/AFP via Getty Images /

It’s undeniable that the best years of Cleveland Cavaliers basketball, not just recently but in the franchise’s history, came because of LeBron James. A player in contention to be the best ever started his career in Cleveland, had a number of winning series, and ultimately returned to the Cavs years later to take them to four straight NBA Finals and bring home the franchise’s only championship, a comeback from a 3-1 deficit against one of the more dominant teams in league history.

None of that is news to a Cavs fan, nor is it largely debatable. LeBron James is the greatest player in franchise history. What becomes a more complicated and uncertain issue is whether James, now 37 years old, will return for a third stint with the Wine and Gold. Kevin Love seems to think he might, and James himself said the “door’s not closed” on a return. It would certainly be a storybook ending to his career.

LeBron James has hinted at a possible return to the Cleveland Cavaliers. If that return came this summer, what could a trade to the Cavs look like?

Let’s entertain the possibility of a return, and not in free agency but right now, this offseason. There is a lot of turmoil in Los Angeles, from a new head coach to the ineptitude of Russell Westbrook to frequent injuries to Anthony Davis. James can’t feel good about competing for a title next season, even if he is stiff-arming Father Time and still playing at an elite level.

What if he goes to Lakers ownership and says “I want to return to Cleveland, please get the best return you can.” Do the Lakers really try to play hardball with him? Does he go to the press to gain leverage? In today’s NBA when a star player wants out he gets out; how much more so for the league’s biggest star?

Let’s go down this rabbit hole. If James is disillusioned by the Lakers’ roster, motivated to force a trade and picked Cleveland as the destination, what might a trade between the two teams look like? Let’s go over some things to keep in mind for a such a deal, and then look at two potential trades to bring LeBron home.