Jan 25, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) dribbles against Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) during the third quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

What Would a Hypothetical Lakers, Warriors LeBron James Trade Look Like?

Originally posted on Los Angeles Lakers on SI
By Jason Fray | Last updated Aug 23, 2025 3:00 PM ET

Could Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James end up with the Golden State Warriors?

According to one juicy report, the Warriors have seemingly been gauging the Lakers' interest in potentially dealing away their iconic player. For something like this to actually happen, James would have signed off on the deal.

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REPORT: The Warriors have called the Lakers “on multiple occasions” to try and trade for LeBron James, per @JakeLFischer pic.twitter.com/lshi8nCNNE
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) August 22, 2025

Operating in the hypothetical, moving up to the Bay Area wouldn't be all that difficult for James to deal with.

He'd only be an hour flight from home down in Los Angeles. Culturally, the Bay Area has some real similarities to what he currently experiences. He'd stay in the West and finally get the opportunity to team up with Steph Curry. Having those two future Hall of Famers on the court together — as we saw in the 2024 Summer Olympics — can result in some real magic.

Given the salary James is commanding, a deal would appear to be somewhat tricky for most teams. One would have to assume that Bronny James would be involved in the trade moving wherever his father ends up.

With that in mind, here's a possible trade idea for both teams.

Lakers Receive: Jimmy Butler, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Future 1st Round Pick

Warriors Receive: LeBron James, Bronny James, Dalton Knecht

The nucleus of this deal revolves around James and Butler. Those two salaries are nearly identical in nature. Butler would in some ways be a cleaner fit next to Luka Doncic, given the fact that he can operate in isolation situations and function more so as a truer wing rather than James.

Perhaps more intriguing, if Doncic is the point forward, Butler and Austin Reaves would get fed off the ball on the wings while Rui Hachimura reverts back to the four spot — his natural and best position.

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Jackson-Davis would give the Lakers a young rotation big with some competency as a paint scorer and as a rebounder. The future first comes as a sweetener given the fact that James is still a top 10-to-15 player in the league today.

The Warriors would then take the James father-son duo and hope to revive Knecht in a system that should be far more Knecht-friendly compared to the one he's currently in.