As much as Lakers fans might like to think otherwise, the Los Angeles is not a minor move away from contention, and LeBron leave after this year if he so desires, including to play with his son. The Warriors are in a somewhat similar spot, with their main core just seeming too old to be true contenders at this point, with no help in sight. Perhaps the Lakers realize this, and decide moving LeBron a few months before he walks for nothing is smart. Note though that they essentially never would do this unless LeBron asked for it... but let's get into the trade first and then see if LeBron would want it.

For the Warriors, it's pretty simple. They'd be pairing the only unanimous MVP with the only guy who managed to stop him. LeBron loves Steph, loves Draymond, and would surely have no problem fitting alongside those two in a read-and-react offense. They also would pick up ANOTHER large wing in Jerami Grant who can create his own shot and play good defense across the spectrum, and small-ball lineups with a Grant-LeBron-Draymond frontcourt could rival some of the Hamptons 5 ones, even though Looney would almost certainly start. Losing Klay Thompson would certainly be a blow in the locker room as he's part of their core big 3 that has been there forever, and Chris Paul could be included instead to match money. Yet Paul is one of LeBron's closest friends, and Klay's salary makes getting a guy like Grant much easier. Either way, their depth would be very poor. Assuming that Steph, LeBron, Draymond, and Looney start, I will assume Gary Payton II starts as well in the meantime at the 2. Grant would be an amazing sixth man, and both Chris Paul and Gabe Vincent should be as well, though both have suffered serious injuries this year. They would be relying on Trayce Jackson-Davis and Dario Saric to eat a lot of innings as bigs, and Cory Joseph would be the only other healthy guard, so some 10-days or veteran buyouts might be needed. But still, this is an 8 man rotation that would truly fear-inspiring in playoffs. If everyone was healthy, I don't know how a team of Steph, LeBron, Draymond, CP3, and Grant loses a series. Is having the best shot of any team at winning one (or more!) last title with Steph worth giving up three firsts and fully abandoning the "two timelines" strategy? I'd say so.

For the Lakers, one could argue this is an underwhelming trade for the second-greatest player of all time. However, for a 39-year old version of him that is essentially a three-month rental, you could do much worse. By giving up him and Gabe Vincent (theoretically a good role player, but who has only played 5 games this year), they could get a wealth of depth and youth. Brandin Podziemski has been the best young player on the Warriors, and probably goes top-10 in a redraft. Andrew Wiggins has years where he looks like an amazing prototypical 3-D third option, and others (like this year) where he looks like a washed shot chucker, so the Lakers could get a great player for cheap if they can figure out how to unlock the good version of him. Malcolm Brogdon is a veteran guard on a very reasonable contract that can make up for the loss of LeBron's playmaking. Two unprotected future firsts should help as well. I think the Lakers would still try and compete this year, and see what they have. A lineup of Brogdon, D'Angelo Russell, Andrew Wiggins, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Anthony Davis should still at least compete for a play-in. Off the bench they'd have Pod, Austin Reaves Rui Hachimura, Darvin Ham's favorite player (aka Taurean Prince), and Christian Wood. Jalen Hood-Schilfino, Cam Reddish, and Max Christie make for even more interchangeable young(ish) wings that can get more or less minutes depending on how the season goes. And if things take a turn South and AD wants out? Trade him and some of the other vets for even HALF the haul they gave up for him originally, and still be in a better position with more picks and youth than they were 5 years ago. That's a much better place to be than letting LeBron walk and fizzling out sadly.

Portland doesn't NEED to be involved necessarily, but facilitating makes things a bit cleaner. They move Grant to an actual contending team and essentially get two recent lottery picks back for him in Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody. Kuminga has at times been the second-best player on the floor for the Warriors, but Kerr plays him maddeningly few minutes. Moody has had his ups and downs, but is still a solid shooter, recent lottery pick, and player who probably would do better in a more simplified role. Both should fit very well with Portland's cadre of young on-ball guards, and their timeline lines up much better. Moving Brogdon for a distant unprotected Warriors first (which could be a very valuable one in a few years, given the age of this new Warriors team) would surely be more than enough as they continue to flip assets into more assets. They have to take Klay's huge contract back, but he's expiring, unlike Brogdon and Grant. They can have oodles of space next year to build around their (now even younger) core, and Klay might even get bought out this year, which could cause some truly fascinating ripple effects on the playoff race.

The truly operative question though; would LeBron want it? Surely, he loves LA and being near his family, but he would also surely love to play with Steph/Dray/CP3. He obviously would want another title, and there's zero doubt this gives him a significantly better shot to do so and continue chasing Jordan's legacy. LeBron has never shied away from creating monstrous superteams before, and has no shame about "getting more help" as he pursues titles. However, he also knows how KD was viewed after going to Golden State specifically and winning rings "on someone else's team," even if it was debatable whether he or Steph were better during those title runs. For all of LeBron's machinations, he's always made it clear that it was HIS team, whether he was superseding Dwyane Wade and Kyrie, or spending time in LA before forcing them to trade for Anthony Davis. Could it be that another title or two on Golden State as the co-lead banana would actually HURT how he's viewed more than playing out the string on a play-in team and signing as a mercenary with a team like the Sixers next year, or just going to whoever draft Bronny? I can't answer that question, but I promise you it's one he's asked himself.