Insider Floats Blockbuster LeBron James and Steph Curry’s $54,126,450 Teammate Pound-for-Pound Trade to Fix Key Lakers Flaws

The LA Lakers have been competitive with the Big 3 of LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. However, NBA insider Bill Simmons believes they can make the team more interesting. Simmons said on his show, "The Bill Simmons Podcast," that having a trade with the Golden State Warriors could spice things up.

Simmons started by mentioning that LA has a team that no one is excited about, while Golden State is a group that "feels dead." His blockbuster proposal is a trade featuring James in exchange for Jimmy Butler.

“The Warriors are not fun, I don’t see a scenario where they become fun,” Simmons said. “But now you put LeBron on the team, with Curry, Lebron reinvigorated… And then Butler is probably a better fit with Luka and Reaves, anyway.

Simmons brought up Butler's current contract with the Warriors. The six-time All-Star is set to earn $54.1 million this season and has another year before his contract expires. That could be a perfect fit for LA since most of the players they signed during the offseason were good for two years.

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“If you’re the Lakers, you can lock in the Butller contract for an extra year, because all they care about is two years from now.

The insider also pointed out that it could give James a different kind of energy if he plays for a different team. This will give him the chance to team-up with Steph Curry.

“Because LeBron doesn’t really seem like he wants to be on the Lakers,” he added.

In LA, having Butler might be a better fit for Doncic and Reaves. Both stars need the ball in their hands and need improvement on the defensive end. The Warriors star is capable of playing off the ball and asserting defense, which could fix the team's overall flaws.

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The Lakers need to make a tough decision with their Big 3

The Lakers are pressured to make a difficult decision with their star trio. This season, all three players have been outstanding and have contributed to the team's victories. However, the similarity in how they play has been one of their main blemishes.

NBA reporter Tom Haberstroh suggested that the team needs to choose which among the three should be part of a potential trade.

“The Lakers aren’t going to go deep in the postseason with Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves, and they need to make a move sooner than later,” Haberstroh wrote. "All three players deserve better: Doncic needs better defenders and athletes; LeBron can’t be playing 35.4 minutes per game; Reaves deserves a chance to be The Guy.”

One way to keep them all together is if all three take the initiative to do more on the floor. The team has seen how they excel on offense, now they need to step up on defense.

Edited by Reign Amurao