Could the Los Angeles Lakers, against all expectations, decide to trade away LeBron James? That idea seems very far-fetched. But the rumblings from this one unheralded NBA insider who has a wild track record of calling some of the biggest developments related to the Lakers in recent history suggest that a LeBron trade may not be as impossible as one would think.
Amid James’ absence during the Lakers’ 114-105 win over the Celtics, David Pingalore of KTLA tweeted out that that he heard from his sources that The King is on top of the Purple and Gold’s list when it comes to who is most likely to get traded away. Pingalore added that Lakers executive Rob Pelinka is “looking for the right team to dance with and is close to a suitor”.
The aforementioned reporter isn’t exactly who comes to mind when it comes to reputable sources. That distinction belongs to the likes of Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN and Shams Charania of The Athletic. When those two report anything, that information is as good as true. But Pingalore has been correct in the past about some seismic developments that this rumor truly may have legs to it.
In 2012, David Pingalore tweeted out that LeBron James “has put feelers” into a return to the Cleveland Cavaliers in two years. That’s exactly what James did when he once again donned a Cavs uniform in the aftermath of the Miami Heat’s loss in the 2014 NBA Finals.
And then, as one would recall, in James’ final season with the Cavs (2017-18), the Lakers dealt a few of their solid role players (Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr.) to Cleveland. This move, according to Pingalore, was the Lakers’ way of “doing LeBron a favor”, with James paying this favor back by joining the Lakers during the 2018 NBA free agency period. That’s exactly how events transpired.
And then to top it all off, amid strong reports that Kawhi Leonard was leaning towards a move to the Lakers in 2019, David Pingalore noted that the 2019 Finals MVP was “highly likely” and “really leaning more so” into signing with the Los Angeles Clippers.
A LeBron James trade will break the internet, although for David Pingalore, not a single development on that front will be surprising, since he sure does seem plugged into the inner workings of the Lakers franchise and LeBron’s camp.
