Grade the Trade: Warriors land superstar in mock deal if Lakers stumble out of gate

Grade the Trade: Warriors land superstar in mock deal if Lakers stumble out of the gate.

If the Lakers find themselves far outside of the playoff race ahead of the trade deadline, a potential trade involving them and the Warriors might make sense. The Lakers and Warriors did discuss a trade involving superstar LeBron James last season but it didn't seem to get far.

In this scenario, Los Angeles has no hope of getting better during the season and LeBron gets restless and forces them to trade him rather than risk missing the playoffs during what could be his final season in the NBA.

That might mean a trade to the Warriors, where he would be paired with fellow superstar and Olympic teammate Steph Curry. The proposed deal would send Gary Payton II, Kevin Looney, and Andrew Wiggins, an unprotected first-round pick in 2026, and a top-10 protected first-round pick in 2028, to the Lakers in exchange for both LeBron and Bronny James.

Although that deal isn't fair value for LeBron, it would be hard to find that in a trade, and if he were to demand a trade to Golden State, then this might be the most realistic package they'd offer. While Payton II and Looney wouldn't factor in long-term for Los Angeles, Wiggins may be a serviceable stopgap. Obviously, he wouldn't replace LeBron, but he might potentially repair his trade value and be moved later on.

Getting two firsts for a 38-year-old player, albeit LeBron, would be good since the Lakers only have a few tradeable picks. For the Warriors, pairing him with Curry would be a no-brainer and potentially propel them back into title contention for the rest of next season and possibly 2025-26 if LeBron doesn't retire.

The deal makes sense for Golden State and possibly only for the Lakers if they are out of playoff contention. Up next, we'll see just how realistic the deal is for the Warriors and if there is a scenario in which the Lakers would give up LeBron next season.