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

Grade the Trade: Would the Lakers agree to the trade?

Having LeBron demand a trade mid-season would be a bad look for Los Angeles but they could salvage that situation by getting the best possible return for their best player. Looney and Payton II would be the salary fillers that would make a trade possible, while Wiggins would only have a season and a half left on his contract, giving them options.

Add in two firsts and a recent lottery pick in Moody, who projects to be a starting three-and-d guard and it would probably be the best they can do. They could conceivably package Wiggins, both firsts, along with another pick to try and pair Anthony Davis with another star in the summer of 2025, with Trae Young being a possible target.

The potential is there for the Lakers to pivot quickly in this scenario but when do they do it? It's not uncommon for veteran teams outside of playoff contention to have a fire sale ahead of the trade deadline and if Lebron wants out, then they would probably oblige him. Them not getting equal value is a given, but they'd get a young prospect, two firsts, and a stop-gap starter who can be salary filler in a trade, which is a good return nonetheless.

Trade Grade: B-

Ultimately, the Lakers should be in the mix for the playoffs but the back half of the West will probably be far better next season. After failing to improve over the summer, the Lakers have less margin for error and if they stumble, then the Warriors trade package would make sense.