ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith thinks that the Los Angeles Lakers should trade superstar LeBron James, and he claimed that the Miami Heat would be one of the first teams that he would call for a potential deal.
“I’m calling Miami because they’ve got some – you talk about Bam Adebayo, Tyler Hero, they’ve got some young talent,” Smith said. “I’m calling them.”
Even though Smith thinks the Lakers should trade James, citing the fact that he doesn’t have a no-trade clause, it still seems highly unlikely that the team moves on from the four-time NBA champion.
James and the Lakers missed the playoffs in the 2021-22 season, and while James had a fantastic season, it doesn’t make sense for Miami to trade some of its young stars for an aging James.
The Heat earned the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference during the regular season, and they have a 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers.
As great as James was for the Heat earlier in his career, taking them to four straight NBA Finals and winning two, Miami has built a solid roster around Jimmy Butler, Adebayo and Herro.
The team would be better off trying to lure James back to Miami after the 2022-23 season in free agency rather than trading young assets to bring him in on the final year of his contract.
During the 2021-22 season, James averaged 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game while shooting 52.4 percent from the field and 35.9 percent from beyond the arc.
He is still one of the best players in the NBA, but Smith’s scenario may be a little too far-fetched for the Heat to consider.
