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Heat linked to storybook reunion with iconic $101 million Lakers 22-time All-Star originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Miami Heat are one big-time trade and/or signing away from emerging as real contenders in the Eastern Conference.
Miami reached the NBA Finals twice during the Jimmy Butler era, most recently in 2022-23, proving it can succeed with the right superstar leading the way.
Milwaukee Bucks standout forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is expected to be that guy, and all signs point to the Heat remaining in the mix for the 31-year-old NBA champion until the very end.
However, CBS Sports’ Sam Quinn believes that a storybook reunion with an iconic Los Angeles Lakers 22-time All-Star could also be in the cards for Miami.
“The Heat are trying to trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo,” Quinn wrote Tuesday. “Say they get him. Then what? They're a team built around two big men with minimal shot-creation and a talent deficit compared to the best teams in the NBA.”
“The Lakers badly need 3-and-D wings, and the free-agent market doesn't have many. James wants to get paid, and there aren't many teams positioned to pay him. So... what if the three sides here worked together?”
“The Heat could accommodate a decent-sized James contract in a sign-and-trade by sending Andrew Wiggins to Los Angeles. The Lakers have been linked to Wiggins since last offseason, and he could either opt in and spend a year there or the Lakers could work out a multi-year deal and make this a double sign-and-trade.”
James joined the Heat in 2010, hoping to win not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven, but unlimited championships alongside Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade.
Although James only finished his Heat stint with two titles, he returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers (the organization that selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft) in 2014 with a much-improved Hall of Fame resume.
The chances of the Heat bringing back James 12 years later are exceptionally slim, considering he likely isn’t even on their radar to start the offseason.
That said, the four-time NBA champion still boasts an above-average offensive skill set at age 41, and if the Heat suddenly decide they want to experiment with an Antetokounmpo-James pairing in 2026-27, they could make a move that would leave fans in utter shock.
James spending another season with the Lakers is a far more realistic scenario, though.
More NBA news:
Spurs predicted to outbid Warriors for $101 million Lakers star, four-time NBA champion
Lakers predicted to outbid Warriors, Cavaliers, Spurs for $101 million star, four-time NBA champion
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