The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly considered trading superstar forward and four-time NBA MVP LeBron James to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2022.
In ESPN’s Baxter Holmes’ latest hit piece on the Lakers, he revealed that Lakers governor Jeanie Buss seriously considered trading James to their cross-town rivals.
“In 2022, in the aftermath of the Westbrook trade, multiple people said Jeanie privately mused about not giving James a contract extension and, later that year, even about trading James, with the LA Clippers floated as a possibility. (This was before James received a no-trade clause in July 2024 after signing a new two-year, $104 million contract.)”
The 2021-22 season for the Lakers was disastrous. That team, led by James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook, was the most disappointing team of the season. They went 33-49 in the season, missed the playoffs, and all fingers pointed at James due to the part he played in the Westbrook trade the previous summer.
James was reportedly the driving force behind landing Westbrook in L.A. Westbrook met with the 41-year-old and Davis to discuss the move and express his desire for the trade to form a superteam. The season and that team did not go according to plan, sparking trade talks that could have sent James to the Clippers.
What If LeBron James Had Been Traded to the Clippers?
Buss’ desire to trade James stemmed from that season being a failure and James’ lack of accountability behind the Westbrook trade. On top of that, Buss was reportedly frustrated with James and his agency, Klutch Sports, due to their excessive control over the team and roster construction.
Although Jeanie was frustrated with James, trading him at the time would have been detrimental for a team that was already struggling. On top of that, trading him to a West rival and your cross-town rival would not have sat well with the Laker fan base.
The Clippers were the better team than the Lakers that season, despite dealing with a multitude of injuries beyond their top players, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Still, the Clippers finished with a 42-40 record, which was good for the eighth seed in the loaded Western Conference.
Although the Clippers suffered their fair share of injuries, they were a resilient bunch. However, they failed to make the playoffs after being eliminated in the Play-In Tournament. They suffered losses to the Minnesota Timberwolves and the New Orleans Pelicans.
James with the Clippers certainly would have helped the Clippers’ chances of making a deep playoff run, as he was averaging 30.3 points per game, which led the league in scoring for most of the season.
The future Hall of Famer’s time in Los Angeles has certainly been a roller coaster. Despite that fact, James will go down as a Lakers great and have his jersey hanging in the rafters once he decides to call it quits.
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