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

LeBron James returning to Cavs: Options for a deal around Kevin Love

The largest salary on the books for the Cavaliers is Kevin Love, who was a top bench player last season but is certainly not worth the $28.9 million he will make this season. Pairing his salary with that of Caris LeVert ($18.7) gets the number to $47.7 million total; the Lakers can add Kendrick Nunn into the deal to get a little bit of salary relief.

This deal is less about this season for the Lakers, and more about next summer. Kevin Love and Caris LeVert are both expiring contracts, as is Russell Westbrook. They could open up an ocean of cap space in the summer of 2023 to make a run at players such as James Harden, Bradley Beal, Kyrie Irving (provided they all decline player options this summer) or next-tier guys such as Fred VanVleet, Jerami Grant, Andrew Wiggins and Myles Turner.

The Cavs also see the least amount of impact to their rotation for next season. LeVert is close to a net negative, and Kevin Love’s impact can be mostly replicated by Lauri Markkanen. The Cavs could re-sign Collin Sexton as a Sixth Man or work out a separate deal for him to land somewhere with a larger role. If Dan Gilbert is comfortable green-lighting a massive tax bill, they could offer Sexton a sizable amount to fully arm themselves for next year.

The Cavs could double down on size and play LeBron James at the 2 with Lauri Markkanen still starting at the 3, but more likely he moves into a high-minute bench role, pairing with Dean Wade as the backup frontcourt players. The Cavs could start Sexton or whatever player they get back for him in a sign-and-trade, or use the Taxpayer MLE to add a shooter. It would certainly be a fearsome combination of size and finishing ability.