A win-win option? U.S. media suggests Lakers trade LeBron James: acquire multiple role players to support Doncic

On October 28th Beijing time, U.S. media NESN published an article analyzing the Lakers’ status, suggesting that trading James could be a win-win scenario. The following is their related insight —

If the Los Angeles Lakers genuinely intend to construct a title-contending lineup centered on Doncic, they need to seriously evaluate trading James. Admittedly, James holds a no-trade clause, but it’s important to realize there are teams he would be willing to join — especially since the current Lakers are not among the top championship favorites. If the Lakers can persuade a contender to take James and receive several reliable role players in return, it would undoubtedly be a win-win outcome.

It’s becoming increasingly clear that for the Lakers to perform at their best in the 2025-26 season and beyond, Doncic must become the team’s “core sun.”

Doncic’s playing style requires him to handle the ball almost every possession, a pace that propelled the Mavericks to the 2024 Finals. During his time with Dallas, even when paired with Irving, Doncic controlled 60% of the team’s offensive possessions — using pick-and-rolls to continuously generate scoring opportunities that opponents struggled to defend.

After joining the Lakers, his dominance remains evident: so far, Doncic has played 30 games for Los Angeles, averaging 29.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 7.6 assists per game. From any perspective, James’s presence reduces Doncic’s ball-handling opportunities, forcing him into a spot-up shooting role, which diminishes his strength as the primary offensive initiator. Trading James for versatile wing players and/or rim-protecting big men would allow Doncic to fully unleash his offensive talents without restraint.

We haven’t even mentioned Reeves — in the past two games, he scored a total of 92 points, which actually highlights that the Lakers have “too many ball handlers,” to the point of redundancy. Fairly speaking, in terms of playing style and age, Reeves may be a better fit with Doncic than James is. At 27 years old, Reeves (with shooting skills superior to James) excels as a secondary playmaker, complementing Doncic’s offensive gravity through off-ball movement and clutch shooting.

Adding James to this duo would only create overlapping roles: three ball-dominant players competing for possession. Prioritizing building around Doncic and Reeves would form a smooth backcourt pairing — with Doncic as the clear offensive leader and Reeves providing support, creating a clear division of roles.

In recent years, teams chasing championships, such as the Knicks or Timberwolves, would likely be eager to acquire a player like James.

For the Lakers, if James retires in Los Angeles instead of being traded, the team will receive no returns when he retires — in a league where salary cap space is increasingly tight, this would be a waste of potential assets.

Of course, trading James is not an easy task for the Lakers. They need to temporarily set aside the commercial value James brings and make clear-headed decisions that best benefit the basketball side of the team.

What do you think about NESN’s suggestion? Should the Lakers consider trading James for role players? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.