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Sweat runs down the face of LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers as he looks on.
NBA champion Paul Pierce sees a possible scenario where his former rival, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, rides the sunset in Cleveland with his son Bronny.
“If [the Lakers] flame out and lose in the play-in, I would consider — if I was LeBron — being traded back to Cleveland for Donovan Mitchell,” Pierce said on the “Undisputed” on April 9. “Donovan Mitchell doesn’t want to be there. We’re not seeing signs he wants to re-sign. Bronny gets picked up by Cleveland and Bron has his farewell world tour with his son in that last year. I can see a possible scenario like that happening.”
The Lakers are currently the ninth seed in the West entering the final week of the regular season. If they stay at No. 9, they will have a tougher path to contention.
The Lakers have done it last season, coming out of the play-in to reach the Western Conference Finals.
But this time, they will face a much tougher field in the play-in tournament. The 10th-seed Golden State Warriors await them in the play-in opener. And if they survive the Warriors, they will face the loser of between the New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings in the other bracket to advance to the playoffs against the top seed of the West in the first round.
Potential LeBron James-Donovan Mitchell Trade
For Pierce’s trade scenario to happen, James would have to pick up his $51.4 million player option and request a trade with the guarantee the Cavaliers would pick Bronny.
The Cavaliers only have one pick in June’s two-day NBA Draft, projected to be at No. 19, per Tankathon. Bronny’s name has not appeared in any mock drafts. Bronny applied for the 2024 NBA Draft and also entered the NCAA transfer portal after a dismal freshman season at USC. He will have until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 29 to decide whether he stays in the draft of return to college.
Cleveland would also need to add more contracts for salary-matching purposes. The Cavaliers are also out of future first-round pick/s to send to the Lakers if they would ask for additional draft compensation.
Lakers Floated as Potential Donovan Mitchell Landing Spot
The Lakers have their eyes on Mitchell, but not at the expense of James as Pierce has suggested.
In January, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported that the Lakers had discussions about trading for Mitchell if he becomes available.
“The Lakers have discussed internally the possibility of packaging three picks, along with players they already have on their books, to pursue a bona fide star, such as Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers or Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks, team sources told ESPN,” McMenamin wrote on January 23.
Lakers general manager and vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka confirmed they are looking for a big trade this summer after staying put at the February 8 trade deadline.
“We didn’t want to shoot a small bullet now that would only lead to very marginal improvement at the expense of making a much bigger and more impactful movement potentially in June and July,” Pelinka told reporters via Lakers Nation after the February 8 trade deadline.
Donovan Mitchell Could Become Available This Summer
Mitchell could be the next star to become available as early as this summer, according to Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus.
“The buzz in NBA circles suggests that barring a run to the NBA Finals, Mitchell will decline an extension and look elsewhere, and the Cavaliers are more likely than not to move him well before he can leave outright as a free agent,” Pincus wrote on April 5.
Mitchell remained non-committal to an extension even after Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert expressed confidence that a new deal is a matter of when, not if.
“I got a lot of things to focus on outside of that right now,” Mitchell told reporters on March 30. “So, I’ll handle that when it comes.”
The Cavaliers have been 2-4 since Gilbert told the Associated Press, “We think he will re-sign.”
If the 27-year-old Mitchell declines an extension this summer, he will enter the final guaranteed year of his five-year $163 million contract next season. The Lakers will be among the top suitors for his services should the Cavaliers make him available.
Alder Almo is a basketball journalist covering the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors for Heavy. He has more than 15 years of experience in local and international media, including broadcast, print and digital. He previously covered the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Alder is from the Philippines and is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey. More about Alder Almo
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