The Lakers are off to a brilliant start and are sitting at No. 2 in the Western Conference, only a game behind the defending champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder. Inspired play from Austin Reaves and dominant performances from Luka Doncic, who is averaging 40 PPG, have pushed the Lakers to this level. The team has been so good that some are even wondering whether they really need LeBron James right now.
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James hasn’t logged a minute this season after being ruled out with sciatica in the days leading up to opening night. Now he has been cleared for basketball-related activities, which means a return is on the horizon and, on paper, should make the Lakers better. Paul Pierce, however, feels the team should take advantage of this moment and trade him away.
Since Doncic joined the Lakers in February, he has been treated as the face of the franchise. The Slovenian star is young and entering the prime of his basketball career, whereas James is 40 years old. As such, Pierce sees James, one of the greatest players of all time, as a valuable asset on the trade block.
“If you could trade Bron right now would you?” asked Pierce on the latest edition of the KG Certified podcast. The Hall of Famer explained that the Lakers should build their roster around Doncic.
This led to a back-and-forth between him and KG, who demanded that Pierce give an example of a trade that would make sense. Pierce was ready. He suggested that the team most in need of Bron’s skills is his original squad, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“Maybe Cleveland, where you can get Jarrett Allen or Garland or Hunter or something like that? And you still keep Donovan Mitchell and Mobley and you add Bron to that,” stated Pierce.
If this were to happen, it would mark an exciting exclamation point for James’ career. He has already won a title for Cleveland, so the pressure would be off, and the East is far easier to compete in than the West. On top of that, Pierce claimed that the current Cavs are in need of LeBron’s leadership.
“Because they look like they’re struggling now, Cleveland, out the gate. You add some leadership over there with Bron, and especially the East, it makes sense for both teams.”
It’s not that the “trade offer” pitched by Pierce is bad, but it’s far too early in the season to even be thinking this way. What if Doncic, or Reaves, or anyone vital to the Lakers team got hurt? That would be the time they’d be leaning on James to pick up minutes. They can’t do that if they trade him away.
Also, LBJ must see that his best chances to win another ring are with this current LA squad. Aside from Doncic and Reaves, they’ve added DeAndre Ayton, who has become a serviceable big. Plus, head coach J.J. Redick has shown his flair for smart schemes. His leadership is a big reason why the Purple and Gold have started the season red hot.
So for now, all the trade chatter feels more like barbershop talk than anything front offices would touch. The Lakers finally have a roster that fits, a coach who’s pushing the right buttons, and a superstar in Doncic who’s cooking every night.
Once LeBron is back in the mix, this team has a real shot to keep rolling, and that’s a far better bet than shipping him off on a hypothetical reunion tour. Sometimes the smartest move is sticking with what’s already working.
