The Cleveland Cavaliers have their attention focused solely on the present as they are locked into a competitive series with the Orlando Magic. Whatever happens in this year's playoffs, however, be that a first-round loss to the Magic or a competitive second round showdown with the Boston Celtics, the Cavaliers have some big questions to answer this summer.
One of them includes what to do with star guard Donovan Mitchell, who is eligible to sign a lucrative contract extension to commit to the team this summer. If he doesn't the front office will have a major decision to make; do they go into the season with Mitchell one year away from free agency, or do they trade him to get back as much value as they can?
An NBA legend, when discussing a familiar name to the Cavaliers, recently suggested a trade involving Donovan Mitchell that would keep the Cavs pushing for title contention next season.
Paul Pierce says that LeBron James should demand a trade to the Cavaliers
Hall of Fame wing Paul Pierce was discussing the news that LeBron James' eldest son, Bronny James, had made himself eligible for the 2024 NBA Draft. In the event that the Lakers had a disappointing end to their season, Pierce suggested that LeBron James not only ask for a trade away from the Lakers, but that he specifically ask for a trade back home to the Cavaliers to play with his son, Bronny.
How would such a trade come together? Is there a realistic deal to be made in the event that LeBron does want to play with his son back home in Cleveland? With the Los Angeles Lakers down 3-0 to the Denver Nuggets a decision point for LeBron is quickly approaching. Let's look at the details and see how such an audacious trade comes together.
Laying out the details of a LeBron trade
For the sake of this exercise, we will assume that LeBron James takes Paul Pierce's advice and demands a trade out of Los Angeles. This scenario is obviously an unlikely one, but it's certainly not impossible; LeBron returned home to Cleveland once before when he determined his team could no longer contend, and he has been very outspoken about a desire to play with his son before he retires. Returning home to Cleveland is a very reasonable coda to his career.
At the same time, the Lakers aren't trading LeBron unless he specifically asks for it. Assuming that he does, what kind of a deal should the Lakers look to make? Given the sheer financial cost of matching salary with LeBron James, there is likely only one realistic trade construction that the Lakers might consider fair value and would work out legally, and that is a trade package built around Donovan Mitchell.
There is another piece to the puzzle, however, and that is the Bronny factor. LeBron's son is a polarizing draft prospect after a quiet freshman season at USC. Some draft analysts see his athleticism, defensive potential and pedigree and put a strong second-round grade on him; others would not place a Top-100 grade on him. Yet for this scenario to occur, the Cavaliers need a path to adding Bronny as well.
Using a first-round pick on him is a stretch, but the Cavaliers don't have a second-round pick. That means adding a third team into the deal to bring back a high second to enable them to draft Bronny and thus set up the LeBron homecoming.
Here is what that trade looks like altogether:
The Toronto Raptors can't decide if they want to rebuild or keep competing, but armed with the 31st pick they are an obvious trade candidate for the Cavaliers to target. Georges Niang is a solid stretch-4 who could pair nicely with Jakob Poeltl in Toronto's rotation, and the Raptors would also get off of the last season of Jalen McDaniels' contract and pick up a future second-round pick, a tidy bit of business.
For the Lakers, Donovan Mitchell is one massive consolation prize for losing LeBron James. He isn't quite the all-time GOAT that LeBron is, but trading a 39-year-old for a 27-year-old All-NBA performer is a strong move, and he can pair with Anthony Davis as the Lakers retool the roster around them. Caris LeVert makes the money work and gives the Lakers another solid contributor, either starting beside Mitchell or as the Sixth man.
Let's assume that all of these pieces fall into place. The Toronto Raptors are game, LeBron James made the trade request and the Los Angeles Lakers are content with a return of Mitchell and LeVert. Should the Cleveland Cavaliers make this trade?
Grade the Trade: Do Cavaliers make this trade?
LeBron James is without question the best player in the history of the Cleveland Cavaliers franchise, not only holding innumerable personal records but also taking the team to five NBA Finals and winning the only championship in franchise history in 2016. He may be the best player in the history of the sport, but he is absolutely the best player in the history of the Cavaliers.
It would be something special to see him return home to play in Cleveland before he retires, and even more sweet for him to do that with his son Bronny. For the younger James to start his career in the same place as his father would be the kind of narrative sports movies are based on.
Trading for LeBron puts a lot of pressure on next season, however. It's unclear how much longer LeBron's prime can last; he has certainly stuck it to Father Time this long, but at some point he will take a major step back. If the Cavaliers want to compete for a title with The King, they need to do so next year.
Next season was always going to have a significant amount of pressure, however, because it's unlikely Donovan Mitchell is signing an extension with the team. If they were willing to white-knuckle the year hoping Mitchell would sign the following summer after a deep playoff run, doing the same with LeBron is not all that different.
The issue is that by trading Mitchell for LeBron you miss out on the trade return for moving Mitchell to a different team. Yet this team doesn't appear interested in a step back, so a trade to keep them as competitive as possible may be appealing to the front office. One or two seasons or LeBron James isn't the best trade package out there, but it's a defensible one that would keep the fan base excited about next year.
Some things rise above cap sheets and asset management, and LeBron James coming home one more time to play with Bronny and make a final run with the Cavaliers might just be it.
Grade: A-