The Phoenix Suns can get involved in a LeBron James trade.
They could get involved by trying to trade for LeBron, of course, but that would take a lot of buy-in and leverage and machinations to give it even a prayer of a whisper of a chance. Barring the fantastic, there is a much more realistic way for the Suns to be involved, and while it wouldn't land King James in Phoenix, it would bring them another two-way star they have recently coveted.
It has never been more possible that LeBron James could leave the Los Angeles Lakers. After opting into his player option, he is one year from free agency without any contract beyond -- something that has not happened since joining the Lakers. If he was going to ask for a trade, this would be the way to do it -- opting in makes it much more feasible for a team to trade for him.
What teams would do that? James has a no-trade clause he can exercise -- something the Suns and their fans know all too well given Bradley Beal's own such clause -- so he can control his destination. That eliminates bad teams (James wants to "compete for a championship" per his agent Rich Paul) and teams in less-desirable locales for someone whose life is established in Los Angeles (sorry Charlotte or Milwaukee).
The prime candidate is Golden State, which is close to LA and has players in Stephen Curry and Draymond Green who are already close with James. Curry and LeBron teamed up under Steve Kerr's oversight at the Paris Olympics last summer and together brought home the gold medal. Those kinds of bonds have influenced player movement in the past.
For the Warriors to make such a trade, they would almost certainly have to trade Jimmy Butler -- but the Lakers won't necessarily be interested in him, given they are building a long-term team around Luka Doncic and Butler is aging and under contract for two more seasons. That means the Warriors need a trade partner to take on Butler -- and the Phoenix Suns can be just that team.
They were very interested in Butler at this past Trade Deadline before things fell apart, but there is every reaosn to think that they are still locked in. What's more, Suns owner Matt Ishbia has hardly backed off his "win now" stance toward team-building. Butler would help them do exactly that.
What's more, the Suns don't have to convince Bradley Beal to waive his no-trade clause, nor incentivize a team to take on his onerous contract. Instead, the Suns can use the trade they just executed to make such a deal happen.
Because the Kevin Durant deal has not been finalized, and will not until July 6th or later, it can be expanded to include more teams. That would allow the Suns to easily reroute Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks to the Los Angeles Lakers, with LeBron James going to the Golden State Warriors and Jimmy Butler coming to Phoenix.
Here is what the trade would look like in full:
Rockets Receive: Kevin Durant
Lakers Receive: Dillon Brooks, Jalen Green, 2026 Top-6 protected first-round pick (GSW)
Warriors Receive: LeBron James
Suns Receive: Jimmy Butler, No. 10 pick (Khaman Maluach), five second-round picks
Should the Suns make this trade?
There are two different questions at play here for the Phoenix Suns, assuming the other three teams are all on board with such a trade. Is Jimmy Butler a more valuable player to have than both Brooks and Green?
If the Suns were building a team for the future, perhaps not. Green is still just 23 years old with a long career ahead of him, and he has shown real flashes of on-ball brilliance. He has also had his ups and downs and is not a consistent player. The same could be said of Brooks, who plays hard every minute but whose shot waxes and wanes.
If the Suns are trying to maximize their win total for next season without giving up their small handful of long-term assets, trading for Jimmy Butler makes a lot of sense. He can be a tertiary scorer in the regular season and then elevate in the playoffs, and Phoenix could use some tough, connective, two-way players on their roster.
Kevin Durant for Jimmy Butler and the No. 10 pick? That is not a bad piece of business. The Suns may not have a realistic path to trading for LeBron James, but they can certainly be a part of one.