Grade the trade: Miami Heat land LeBron James in wild Bill Simmons proposal

Things aren’t going great for the Los Angeles Lakers right now, and many are wondering where the team stands ahead of February’s trade deadline.

Should the Lakers trade for Zach LaVine or Dejounte Murray? What can they get for D’Angelo Russell? Did they make a mistake by signing Gabe Vincent? All are fair questions.

But The Ringer’s Bill Simmons took it one step further when he asked if the Lakers, rather than retool around LeBron James, should trade LeBron and start over.

If the Lakers ever considered trading LeBron James before he left in free agency, a Miami Heat return could make sense for both sides.

In a recent podcast, Simmons cautioned that even broaching the conversation of trading LeBron was merely “a thought exercise” and fodder for social media conversation. But he did come up with a few trade ideas that would send LeBron to a contender, including the Miami Heat.

Would the Lakers ever really entertain trading LeBron? It seems unlikely, but if things keep going south in Los Angeles and the team is several games under .500 as the trade deadline nears, maybe it’s possible. LeBron can become a free agent this summer so if the Lakers think they are at risk of losing him so he could chase a fifth ring elsewhere, it could make sense.

Though it’s doubtful the Lakers would ever get to that point, especially considering the run they made in the second half of last season, it’s worth exploring the possibility of a LeBron-Heat reunion.