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LeBron James’ potential offseason landing spots were laid out clearly by The Stein Line’s Marc Stein on Saturday.
Stein noted that the Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, and New York Knicks could be James' primary suitors, with the Los Angeles Clippers possibly entering the equation as an underrated option for the Los Angeles Lakers four-time NBA champion.
On Tuesday, Fansided’s Bryan Toporek took it a step further by noting that the San Antonio Spurs should be the ‘obvious’ choice for the future Hall of Famer.
Specifically, Toporek believes that the Lakers could send James to the Spurs via a sign-and-trade for a 26-year-old Sixth Man of the Year, a move that could pay dividends for Los Angeles in the foreseeable future.
“(Victor) Wembanyama still has one more year left on his rookie-scale deal, while (Stephon) Castle has two and (Dylan) Harper has three,” Toporek stated. “They won't begin to get absurdly expensive for another few seasons, which gives them plenty of time to make moves below the aprons.”
“The Spurs currently project to be nowhere near the first apron next season, which means they should have the full $15.0 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception in free agency. If LeBron isn't willing to settle for that, the Spurs could always offer to sign-and-trade for him while offering (Devin) Vassell and/or (Keldon) Johnson in return.”
“Vassell could be a strong fit alongside (Luka) Doncic and (Austin) Reaves at a reasonable price, while Johnson and (Luke) Kornet could bolster the Lakers for now while leaving their long-term financial flexibility untouched.”
During the 2022-23 campaign, Johnson emerged as a lethal first-unit contributor for the rebuilding Spurs. The Kentucky product averaged 22.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.9 assists on a 21-59 San Antonio squad.
However, after Johnson's fourth NBA campaign, then-Spurs head coach Greg Popovich opted to bring the 26-year-old off the bench for much of the 2023-24 season, a decision Johnson stated was difficult to come to terms with.
Impressively, though, Johnson has since embraced his new role and played a significant role in the Spurs’ emergence as Western Conference contenders (he’s currently averaging 8.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists on a San Antonio squad three games away from its first NBA Finals appearance since 2014).
If the Lakers were to swap James for Johnson, they would receive a high-energy 6-foot-5 wing who’s proven willing to get downhill and embrace contact around the rim in half-court/fast-break situations, and knock down catch-and-shoot triples at a 36.3% clip.
Toporek’s sign-and-trade idea isn’t the most likely scenario, but it's certainly thought-provoking in late May.
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