3 Trade Packages To Bring LeBron James Home to Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers need to seriously consider a LeBron James trade for a number of reasons.

Outside of making a championship run in the East with a core of James, Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley, the Cavs' current position as the only NBA team above the second apron puts a lot of team-building restrictions around them. A trade for James and his expiring $52.6 million contract would help alleviate that reality.

A trade for James would need to send out enough salary to match his current contract and nearly an additional $20 million in salary to get below the second apron. It's extremely tricky to do and would make the Cavs much thinner overall (and almost certainly require the Brooklyn Nets—with $28 million in cap space—to help complete).

The following are three James trades the Cavs should consider, starting with the most basic and expanding to true blockbuster deals.

Trade 1: Cavs Keep Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen in 3-Team Deal

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LeBron James and Donovan Mitchell

Cleveland Cavaliers Receive: F LeBron James, G Bronny James and save $24.1 million

Los Angeles Lakers Receive: PG Darius Garland, F De'Andre Hunter, G/F Max Strus

Brooklyn Nets Receive: F Jarred Vanderbilt, PG Gabe Vincent, 2031 first-round pick (via Los Angeles Lakers)

This is as simple as a LeBron James trade could get for the Cavs and Lakers, with the Nets and their cap space brought in as a third team.

The Cavs get both LeBron and Bronny James, with the latter attractive to Cleveland given his affordable $1.9 million salary. That's less than paying a veteran minimum contract to a player with even one year of service.

Cleveland also keeps three members of its core four (Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen) with players such as Lonzo Ball, Larry Nance Jr., Sam Merrill, Dean Wade, Jaylon Tyson and others still on the roster.

The Cavs would get under the second apron and be left with $5.6 million to sign two players to get to the required 14. They would be hard-capped at the second apron in all of these trade scenarios because they aggregated player salaries. 

The Lakers get really good value for the 40-year-old James on an expiring contract, as Garland is a 25-year-old, two-time All-Star who helps take the offensive pressure off of Luka Dončić. Hunter and Strus are both potential starters in the prime of their careers as well. 

Brooklyn adds $23 million to the payroll with Vanderbilt and Vincent, although the latter is on an expiring $11.5 million contract and the Nets get a future first from the Lakers.

New Cavs Starters: Donovan Mitchell, Sam Merrill, LeBron James, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen

New Cavs Bench: Lonzo Ball, Larry Nance Jr., Dean Wade, Jaylon Tyson, Craig Porter Jr., Tyrese Proctor, Bronny James

Trade 2: Cavs Keep De'Andre Hunter over Jarrett Allen, Pick up Future 1st-Round Pick

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Cleveland Cavaliers Receive: F LeBron James, G Bronny James, 2027 first-round pick (top-2 protected from Dallas Mavericks, via Hornets) and save $27.4 million

Los Angeles Lakers Receive: PG Darius Garland, G/F Max Strus

Charlotte Hornets Receive: C Jarrett Allen

Brooklyn Nets Receive: F Grant Williams, F Dean Wade, 2027 first-round pick (lottery-protected from Miami Heat, via Hornets)

Expanding the first trade a bit here, the Charlotte Hornets are a team that should be thrilled to pick up Allen in a trade.

They previously shipped off Mark Williams and Jusuf Nurkić and are in desperate need of a new starter, a role Allen could play as a lob-catcher from LaMelo Ball and a defensive anchor.

For the Cavs, this means leaning into the idea of playing Evan Mobley as the new starting center. Cleveland had a net rating of plus-12.0 with Mobley at the five last season, ranking in the 95th percentile.

Swapping Allen out allows the Cavs to keep De'Andre Hunter and pick up a future first-round pick they can use to add young talent or flip in a future trade. The Cavaliers would then have $7.6 million left to sign three players.

The Lakers still get Garland and Strus, but not Hunter. Due to this, they no longer send out a future first-round pick to the Nets, keeping their last remaining selection (2031 or 2032) intact.

Charlotte brings in a former All-Star center in Allen, 27, who led the NBA with a 70.6 field goal percentage and played in all 82 games while averaging 13.5 points and 9.7 rebounds. They also get off of Williams, who's recovering from tears to the ACL, meniscus and associated ligaments in his right knee and has two years and $28 million on his contract.

The Nets only take on $20.1 million in salary while getting another future first. Wade should also have value across the league as a 3-and-D forward on an expiring $6.6 million contract.

New Cavs Starters: Donovan Mitchell, Sam Merrill, De'Andre Hunter, LeBron James, Evan Mobley

New Cavs Bench: Lonzo Ball, Larry Nance Jr., Jaylon Tyson, Craig Porter Jr., Tyrese Proctor, Bronny James

Trade 3: The 5-Team Blockbuster that Lands LeBron James, Austin Reaves in Cleveland

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Cleveland Cavaliers Receive: F LeBron James, G Austin Reaves, C Walker Kessler, 2027 first-round pick (lottery-protected via Miami Heat) and save $27.2 million

Los Angeles Lakers Receive: F Lauri Markkanen, F De'Andre Hunter, G/F Max Strus

Utah Jazz Receive: PG Darius Garland, F Maxi Kleber

Charlotte Hornets Receive: C Jarrett Allen

Brooklyn Nets Receive: F Grant Williams, F Jarred Vanderbilt, 2027 first-round pick (top-2 protected via Dallas Mavericks)

A LeBron James trade to the Cavs needs three teams, although growing to four or even five franchises is entirely possible.

This is a complete blow-up of the roster for Cleveland while still keeping Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley around James. Reaves (20.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists) takes over Garland's starting spot in the backcourt next to Mitchell, and Kessler (11.1 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.4 blocks) is the successor to Allen at center. 

Both Reaves and Kessler will need new contracts and significant raises next summer, although James' expiring $52.6 million contract allows the Cavs some flexibility to get new deals done. Cleveland also gets a future first-round pick and would have $8.6 million leftover to sign two players.

Getting under the second apron would allow the Cavs to spend up to $5.7 million on a free agent using the taxpayer mid-level exception, possibly putting them in the running for a player like Malcolm Brogdon or Al Horford.

Bringing in the Utah Jazz here allows the Lakers to pair Luka Dončić with a frontcourt star in Lauri Markkanen while surrounding him with two-way wings in Hunter and Strus. L.A. gets to keep its future first-round pick and gets off of Vanderbilt's three-year, $37.3 million deal.

Swapping Markkanen (28) for Garland (25) makes more sense for the timeline in Utah and gives the Jazz a franchise point guard to help elevate the rest of the roster. The Hornets still come away with Allen as a franchise center while dumping Williams for the price of two future first-round picks (none of their own).

Brooklyn adds $25.2 million into its cap space but gets a nearly unprotected first-round pick from the Mavericks, via Charlotte.

New Cavs Starters: Donovan Mitchell, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, Evan Mobley, Walker Kessler

New Cavs Bench: Lonzo Ball, Larry Nance Jr., Sam Merrill, Dean Wade, Jaylon Tyson, Craig Porter Jr., Tyrese Proctor