James, 38, has been in the league for 20 seasons. Now that the Lakers have entered a trough and have a bad record, James has publicly stated that he still has the ability to compete for championships and does not want to lose like this all the time. If James applies for a trade, what is the 38-year-old James trade worth?
The 38-year-old James has played in 34 games this season, averaging 36.2 minutes per game and can contribute 29.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 1.0 steals, 0.5 blocks, 3.2 turnovers and 1.6 fouls, shooting 51.1% from the field, 29.3% from three-point range and 75.8% from the free throw line. In the latest All-Star vote, James won the "vote king" by overwhelming the crowd. In terms of statistics and popularity, James is still the top star in the league.
Scarcity is a priority, and the league's top stars have always been the object of competition between teams. If James applied for a trade, it would certainly attract interest from teams in the league, but conversely, James' trade value is not high. The trade value of a player includes all aspects, such as strength, age, potential, health status, contract size, contract length, renewal issues and other factors. Moreover, James also wants to go to a team that can win the championship, so that there are few eligible teams in the league. This puts buyers in a good position to undercut prices.
There are bound to be many conditions to get James, but the most basic must meet two conditions, one is to win the championship, and the other is to have James as the absolute core. Then exclude the teams that target Venbanyama and the teams that cannot make the playoffs, and then there are 16 teams left. Then rule out teams that can't provide James with an absolute core position, the Celtics have Tatum, the Bucks have Giannis, the Nets have Durant, the 76ers have Embiid, the Nuggets have Jokic, the Grizzlies have Morant, the Pelicans have Zion, the Mavericks have Doncic, the Warriors have Curry, the Clippers have Leonard, and the Heat have Butler. Then there are 5 teams left: the Cavaliers, the Knicks, the Pacers, the Kings, the Timberwolves.
Excluding the teams whose stars do not match James' playing style, the Cavaliers' Mitchell, Garland, and the King's Fox are all players who need to hold the ball to play their strongest strength, and if James joins, the probability is like Westbrook joining the Lakers, showing a 1+1 less than 2 effect. The core lineup of the Timberwolves is a double interior lineup, which cannot open up space for James, which is not in line with James' style of play. Well, only the Knicks, Pacers, 2 teams remain.
With the current Knicks and Pacers roster, getting James without paying any chips, the odds of winning the championship are still slim. At the end of the day, James is 38 years old, his strength has seriously declined, and the configuration required to win the championship with James as the core is too high.
The championship-contender team has a solid lineup and absolute core, and there is no place for James. Non-championship teams are either not strong enough or are not suitable for James's style of play, which results in James being priceless. Previously, the US media has been advocating that the 38-year-old James can change any player in the league alone, or change a core player and add 4 first-round picks, which is simply ridiculous.
Previously, James publicly stated that he still has the ability to compete for the championship and does not want to lose like this all the time. Such remarks have made it clear that he wants to leave, but after such a long time, there has been no movement. After that, James said he would stay with the Lakers. The fact that James' trade value is not as high as the US media boasts.
Today's James, as he gets older, although he still plays luxurious statistics, but it will help the team win little, and the configuration required to build a championship team with James as the absolute core is too high, and James has no time to wait.
The team that needs James just wants to use James' commercial value to sell tickets, and such a team James is not willing to go. Simply put, the team James fancy can't look at James, and the team that looks at James, James can't look at.