LA Lakers Rumors: NBA insider proposes LeBron James to Chicago Bulls trade for this summer
It will be interesting to see if LeBron James remains with the LA Lakers next season, especially if they fail to make the playoffs again. James cannot be traded this season since he signed an extension this past summer. An insider proposed a trade that would send "The King" to the Chicago Bulls.
David Aldridge of The Athletic suggested a deal between the Bulls and Lakers for the offseason. Chicago trades DeMar DeRozan, Alex Caruso and Patrick Williams in exchange for James. Aldridge explained that the Lakers will benefit from having a combo of DeRozan and Anthony Davis.
Caruso's reunion with the Lakers will be applauded by the fanbase, while Williams still has the potential to become a really good player. Meanwhile, the Bulls could partner James with Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic and Lonzo Ball. That would only work if Vucevic re-signs with the Bulls and Ball recovers from his injury.
According to an anonymous NBA executive, LeBron James has a "soft spot" for the Chicago Bulls. The executive revealed it to Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports, while discussing a different hypothetical trade wherein the Lakers got Zach LaVine instead of DeMar DeRozan.
"They'd be a dark horse for me in this just because they have Zach and he could be a star for the Lakers, even if they would not be that good of a team," the exec said. "LeBron has always had a soft spot for Chicago, so it could work, and he could play with DeRozan, maybe Lonzo if he is healthy. It would be an interesting mix."
It has been widely speculated that James could request a trade out of the Lakers after another disappointing season. The Lakers are currently out of the playoff picture, but are just 1.5 games behind the final play-in spot and 2.5 games behind sixth place.
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LeBron James hates losing
LeBron James and the LA Lakers currently have a record of 20-25, which is good for 13th place in the Western Conference standings. James expressed his displeasure in losing games in an interview with ESPN's Dave McMenamin two weeks ago.
"I want to win," James said. "(The losing is) not sitting well with me. I don’t like having accomplishments, and it don’t feel right, when it comes in a losing effort. ... Breaking records or setting records or passing greats in a losing effort has never been a DNA of mine."
James has been doing his best to keep the Lakers afloat while Anthony Davis recovers from a foot injury. He's been tearing it up since turning 38 years old last Dec. 30. He's averaging 36.4 points, 9.5 rebounds and 8.6 assists in his past eight games.
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