According to renowned NBA reporter Sam Amick, the Rockets, Lakers, and Nets have been exploring a trade involving LeBron James. If the three parties can reach an agreement, James would join Kevin Durant on the Rockets.

Trade rumors surrounding James have been rife this offseason, and after exercising his $52.7 million player option, his future with the Lakers has become even more uncertain. Before the 2025-26 season officially begins, James will consider whether to continue playing for the Lakers. He truly desires to win his fifth championship this season, a feat the Lakers, with Luke Dončić as the core of their offense and defense, clearly lack.

Rich Paul revealed that James has accepted the Lakers' decision to build Dončić into their core team. This statement has two meanings: one is that James accepts and is willing to be the team's second option; the other is that James has accepted and chosen to leave the Lakers to pursue a championship opportunity elsewhere. James, in the final stages of his career, remains highly focused on his realistic chances of winning the championship. Throughout the league, the Rockets may be the team with the best chance of defeating the Thunder and winning the championship this season.

"Over the past month, Paul specifically thanked Lakers owner Jeanie Buss and general manager Rob Pelinka for their eight years of collaboration. It almost sounded like a farewell thank you," said Sam Amick. Shortly thereafter, Shams Charania confirmed that James is "unsure" about the Lakers' roster for the 2025-26 season. The Lakers are willing to listen to trade offers and respect James's personal decision. This represents a final amicable parting of ways.

If James were to enter the trade market, he would undoubtedly attract a fierce pursuit from multiple teams. As a player with an expiring contract, James would be a target for many teams willing to take a gamble, with potential destinations including the Mavericks, Cavaliers, Knicks, Heat, and Warriors. However, no team could rival the Rockets in terms of roster strength or the leverage they could offer in trade negotiations.

Last season, the Rockets finished second in the Western Conference thanks to their young core, but lost to the experienced Warriors in the first round. During the offseason, the Rockets traded for Durant, further strengthening their championship hopes. Naturally, James became the Rockets' management's next trade target, creating the opportunity for James and Durant to team up for the first time in their careers. Sam Amick reported that the Lakers and Rockets contacted the Nets for preliminary trade discussions and exchanged rough proposals centered around James.

The Rockets previously traded the 10th pick, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and five second-round picks for Durant, demonstrating excellent asset management. They still have enough leverage to acquire another superstar. Trading for the soon-to-be-41-year-old James wouldn't even require a higher price than Durant. After all, James has a no-trade clause, giving him full control over trade negotiations. If he chooses to join the Rockets and team up with Durant, they certainly don't want the Rockets to lose too many rotation players in the deal.

In this trade discussion, the Rockets need to make a bold move, and Jabari Smith could become a key bargaining chip in exchange for James. Ideally, the Lakers would be interested in Smith, but he doesn't pair well with Dončić, leading to the inclusion of a third team in the trade: the Nets.

The initial outline of a three-way trade is as follows: The Rockets receive James and a 2026 first-round pick from the Nets. The Lakers receive Nicolas Claxton, Jae'Sean Tate, a future first-round pick from the Rockets, and a 2026 second-round pick from the Hawks via the Nets. The Nets receive Jabari Smith, Gabe Vincent, and Dalton Knecht. If all three parties are interested, further discussions will be conducted, and further details of the trade proposal will be developed.

In this deal, the Rockets traded Smith to the Nets in exchange for James and a first-round pick; the Lakers acquired Claxton as an immediate player, with the overall strategy prioritizing players over draft picks. Furthermore, the Lakers traded Vincent's expiring contract and Knecht's potential prospect to acquire a second-round pick from the Nets and a first-round pick from the Rockets.

This allowed the Nets to rejuvenate their roster, with Smith becoming the new core, Vincent providing veteran experience, and Knecht adding perimeter offensive talent. The Nets could also consider trading Vincent's expiring contract midseason. The Rockets secured a core lineup of James, Durant, Shin Kyung-shin, and Amen Thompson, while the Lakers resolved their James issue and built a new roster entirely around Dončić.

For James, joining the Rockets could be his last and best chance to win a championship, and he had reason to waive his no-trade clause for this deal.

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