The idea of trading LeBron James to the Warriors comes amid Jimmy Butler’s injury
The Los Angeles Lakers have been up and down in recent weeks, currently sitting in sixth place in the Western Conference with a 25-16 record. While Los Angeles has plenty of top talent, many have pointed to the Lakers’ lack of two-way wings as a reason for them not being taken seriously as a contender, with some arguing that LeBron James‘ an expensive contract prevented them from building a reasonable roster around Luka Dončić.
On Monday night, the Golden State Warriors star Jimmy Butler is down with a torn ACL, ending his season and causing fans to wonder where the Warriors will turn now. Recently, Chandler Parsons went on FanDuel’s “Run It Back” show to present massive trade idea it would shake the NBA to its core.
“How do we feel about Jimmy Butler, Cummings and two picks that will be really good for the Lakers for the LeBron James and Rui situation?” Parsons wondered, according to Run It Back on FanDuel TV on YouTube.
In this deal, the Lakers would receive a viable wing in Kuminga and two potentially valuable draft picks to help build for the future, while sending James and Rui Hachimura to the Bay Area. Jimmy Butler’s big salary would help match up the two sides from a financial perspective.
While Kuminga has proven to be a capable NBA player, it’s hard to see how this deal would make the Lakers better in the short term, given that James still performs at an All-Star level when healthy.
However, two future draft picks might be too much for Rob Pelinka and company to pass up.
For now, though, the more likely scenario seems to be that the Lakers are exploring a move along the margins leading up to the trade deadline.
Of course, that’s also what fans were speculating at this time last year when news of the Doncic trade broke, so anything is possible.
2026-01-20 19:17:00
