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The Oklahoma City Thunder just won the NBA Finals. The team has the deepest roster in the NBA, but the rich could get richer this offseason. LeBron James might be a trade candidate this offseason, and the Thunder will have the firepower to outbid every other team in the league for his services if they so choose. So what would a trade package for James look like for the Thunder?
Thunder potential trade package for LeBron James
Thunder receive: LeBron James, Bronny James
Lakers receive: Isaiah Hartenstein, Aaron Wiggins, Kenrich Williams, 2026 first-round pick, 2026 first-round pick (via 76ers)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander just won the MVP, and Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren staked their claims as superstars while helping the Thunder to a title.
Alex Caruso, Cason Wallace, and Lu Dort are defensive stars. Nikola Topic, Ousmane Dieng, and Thomas Sorber are recent high draft picks with tons of potential; and Isaiah Joe, Aaron Wiggins, and Kenrich Williams are reliable role players. The team was predominately built through the draft, but they also have Isaiah Hartenstein as their big-ticket free agent from last offseason.
Hartenstein, Wiggins, and Williams could be used alongside draft capital in a trade for James. The Lakers desperately need a center, and there is perhaps no big man that they could get their hands on who is better than Hartenstein. Additionally, the Thunder have tons of future draft picks that they could dangle in front of the pick-deprived Lakers team.
In fact, the Thunder might have too many picks, so they'd be smart to consolidate. Oklahoma City has a full roster of players who are either under long-term contracts or who the Thunder want to extend in the near future. They already had to move on from Dillon Jones to create roster space, and Jones was a first-rounder just last year.
Oklahoma City has three first-round picks next year alone, and they could throw in two of them to complete a deal for James. The King would be a luxury not a necessity in Oklahoma City as they already won the championship without him, but his experience could help turn the program into a dynasty.
James is one of the best NBA players ever and already has 10 NBA Finals appearances to his name. The Thunder, obviously, would also offer James a better chance to win one more ring than any other team in the league.
James is already 40 years old, and next season will be his 23rd season in the NBA. Nobody has ever played more than he has at the NBA level, so it would be smart to take some of the weight off of his shoulders before his inevitable retirement. The Thunder often go 11 or 12 players deep, so they could afford to give James the rest that he deserves.
The Thunder have built their roster the right way, and they don't need to make an all-in trade. However, James' age means that it won't cost an arm and a leg to acquire him, and the Thunder have assets to spare. If they want to trade for the Chosen One, then they will be fully capable of doing so.
Will the Lakers trade LeBron James?
Trade rumors involving James were started after he opted into his $52.6 million player option. After signing the paperwork to avoid free agency, James' agent, Rich Paul, hinted that James might not be happy with the state of the Lakers roster.
Paul said, “He [James] knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we've had for eight years with Jeanie [Buss] and Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.”
The Lakers have a great duo that was created when Luka Doncic was traded for in arguably the most shocking trade in NBA history. However, their recent first-round exit proved that they might not be true contenders.
It is unclear if James' agent spoke up because James would actually welcome a trade or if Paul wanted to put pressure on the Lakers to make moves. The latter of those ideas might be more likely to be true, which means James could very well be suiting up in purple and gold again next season.
Even so, a trade offer from the Thunder could be hard to pass up on. James only has so much more time in the league left, and the Lakers clearly had the future in mind when they traded for Doncic. The Thunder can offer the Lakers more than any other team in a James deal, and that includes both play-now players and future draft capital.
