LeBron James traded Bill Simmons’ latest offer to the Knicks

Hypothetical trade shipment Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James to New York Knicks in exchange for Karl-Anthony Towns Bill Simmons this week posted another layer to the ongoing speculation surrounding both franchises amid uneven parts of the game.

Simmons proposed the idea on the latest episode of the Bill Simmons Podcast, framing it as an imperfect but intriguing solution for two teams facing different pressures.

“I say this tentatively, I’m not happy about it. LeBron for Towns is sitting there,” Simmons said.

He went on to acknowledge the unlikely nature of the scenario, while laying out why he liked the framework from a roster-building perspective.

“It’s so classic, only a stupid internet trade would be compensated by someone. And yet I look at how it’s going, ehh it’s not a bad trade if two things are solved properly,” Simmons said. “If you’re the Knicks who are just trying to get out of Towns’ contract before it gets crazy. If you’re the Lakers, this is a pretty interesting guy for Luke. I’m not going to go to war with Luke and Towns and Reaves together. I don’t have to worry about getting anything from LeBron in a year. And if it’s me, we’re going to be like the Knicks and we’re going to be like the Knicks and Le Brusson. All of a sudden I don’t have a center, I’m going to have to rely on Mitchell Robinson.

Bill Simmons floats the LeBron James-Karl-Anthony Towns trade between the Lakers and the Knicks

James, 41, remains productive in his 23rd NBA season. He is averaging 22.5 points, seven assists, six rebounds and one steal per game while shooting 51 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three-point range in 25 appearances. He is logging 33.2 minutes per contest and has helped Lakers improve to 26-16 with 115-107 win over Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night, moving Los Angeles into fifth place in the Western Conference.

James is in the final year of a two-year, $101.3 million extension. He is making $52.6 million this season and has a no-trade clause, with unrestricted free agency looming next summer.

Towns, 30, is in his second season with New York and in the second year of a four-year, $220.4 million contract. He is making $53.1 million this season and has a $61 million player option for the 2027-28 campaign. On the court, Towns is averaging 21 points, 11.6 rebounds and three assists per game while shooting a career-high 46.7 percent from the field and 35.8 percent from three in 40 games, playing 32.3 minutes a night.

The The Knicks have struggled collectively despite Towns’ production. New York’s 114-97 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Monday dropped the team to 25-18. The Knicks are 3-9 in their last 12 games and are just 7-11 since winning the NBA Cup in Las Vegas, though they remain third in the Eastern Conference standings.

New York will try to stop the slump on Wednesday night when they host the Brooklyn Nets (12-29) at 7:30 PM ET to close out a three-game homestand.

As for Los Angeles, the Lakers continue their eight-game road trip Thursday night against the Los Angeles Clippers (19-24) at 10:00 PM ET on Prime Video, and James remains top of their immediate plans despite ongoing speculation.