GettyLeBron James against the Nuggets.

The Los Angeles Lakers are in an interesting position heading into the 2024 NBA offseason. In a position to get better, the Lakers have assets to complete a trade and land someone who can help the team. However, searching for 10 blockbuster trades and deals that need to happen this offseason, Chris Herring of ESPN has LeBron James signing with the Philadelphia 76ers. If that happened, Herring has the Lakers replacing James with Paul George. After the signing of George, he proposed a deal that’d land Trae Young from the Atlanta Hawks in a deal that’d involve Austin Reaves.

Lakers would get: Young

Hawks would get: Reaves, Rui Hachimura, either Gabe Vincent or Jarred Vanderbilt, and draft picks

“If Los Angeles loses James and replaces him with George, who’s settled into handling the ball less, the Lakers would be wise to find someone who takes no issue with handling it more.

“Young, as someone who shared ballhandling responsibility with Dejounte Murray the past two seasons in Atlanta, fits that bill,” Herring wrote on May 28. “His efficiency can wane; particularly from deep, but he’s also a playmaker whose penetration would create easy looks for Davis, who would immediately become the best big Young has ever played with.”

James would opt out of the one-year, $51.4 million he has left on his Lakers contract in this scenario from Herring.