King's ransom: What would a hypothetical LeBron James trade look like?

Never gonna happen.

Cleveland could never weather the public and karmic storm of trading away the best player in franchise (if not league) history, who is not only still in his prime, but is a native son and the only reason the city has won a championship in the last half-century. And even if the Cavaliers wanted to, it would take his approval, which as far as we know, he wouldn't give. So, unless he asks for it, it's impossible to imagine LeBron James being traded.

However ...

Cleveland is spiraling at the moment, even by mid-season Cavs standards, and most NBA fans are still wondering what the team can do to improve the roster around LeBron so he can compete this year and also want to stay beyond that.

But perhaps it'd actually be more constructive for Cleveland to flip the question, and ask how it can use LeBron to improve the roster in the event he decides to leave after this season. And if that's the case, what would that look like?

When looking for a possible trade partner, you have to find a team that is either very confident in its ability to compete for a title this season, very confident in its ability to convince LeBron to stay around past this summer, or preferably, both.

That team also needs a young star player, or a prospect already very close to being one, who is under contract beyond this season to build a trade around. Cleveland is not trading the franchise for spare parts, draft picks, and cap relief, even if the last two could help swing a deal one way or the other.

That rules out of a lot of teams: Sacramento, Orlando, Memphis, Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Brooklyn, Phoenix, Utah, Charlotte, Indiana, and Portland all aren't close enough to contending and wouldn't have a real shot at keeping LeBron past this season.

Dallas, New Orleans, Miami, Toronto, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, and Houston could make a case for being close and/or being compelling, but don't have any young players under team control who are either interesting enough or would be considered tradeable. Minnesota and Denver are almost there but not quite.

So, that leaves eight teams that could actually be in the LeBron sweepstakes. Let's take a look at them, in roughly ascending order of likelihood:

8. New York Knicks

7. Los Angeles Lakers

6. Los Angeles Clippers

We're grouping these three teams together because, on paper, none of them have what it takes to either contend or convince LeBron to stick around long-term.

But all three do have one thing going for them: each resides in a city that can draw big-name free agents to play alongside LeBron.

And signing that additional talent would become an easier task if any of these three teams cleared enough cap space in the process of trading for LeBron. So, let's look at some trades that might pique the Cavs' interest:

Knicks trade Kristaps Porzingis, Courtney Lee, Lance Thomas, Ron Baker, and a future first-round pick for LeBron James

Knicks fans will try to convince themselves that Frank Ntilikina, Enes Kanter, and a couple future first-rounders is enough to entice the Cavs, but this is LeBron we're talking about.

Bottom line, the Knicks aren't getting him without giving up Porzingis.

The Knicks can shed some salary - not Joakim Noah's unsightly contract, unfortunately - and build around a core of LeBron, Ntilikina, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Kanter. In return, the Cavs get a Unicorn.

Lakers trade Brook Lopez, Brandon Ingram, Larry Nance Jr., Kyle Kuzma, and Josh Hart for LeBron James

The Lakers don't really have a true No. 1 asset, so they'll have to send multiple pieces to Cleveland to get the job done. Kuzma and Ingram both show a lot of potential, but their respective ceilings may not be high enough, while it's unlikely Nance and Hart are much more than quality role players.

Lonzo Ball could also possibly be involved, but dealing with the Ball family seems less than desirable for a Cavs franchise in a state of flux. Plus, the Lakers still need a sweetener to shop the Luol Deng contract with, and LeBron has to play with someone for the rest of this season.

However, even if a trade doesn't happen, it's possible - and certainly the hope of the Lakers - LeBron takes his talents to L.A. in the offseason anyway.

Clippers trade Blake Griffin, Montrezl Harrell, and Patrick Beverley for LeBron James

In theory, getting a superstar such as Blake Griffin is a pretty good primary return for LeBron. But it's never that simple with Blake, who hasn't played enough to even make an All-Star team since 2014-15, and whose production seems to recede with his health every year.

Maybe the Cavs could include some bad contracts and the Clips could throw in Austin Rivers to make it slightly more attractive, but this one is probably a little too fraught with danger even in the best-case scenario.

5. Milwaukee Bucks

Bucks trade Jabari Parker, Khris Middleton, Tony Snell, Malcolm Brogdon, and Thon Maker for LeBron James

It's not a bad deal for Cleveland, who get a near-All-Star 3-and-D guy in Middleton, a potential future star in Parker, a couple solid rotation guys in Snell and Brogdon, and a lottery ticket in Maker.

Really, this deal's attractiveness would come down to Parker and if the Cavs think he could be the guy to build around. Unfortunately, due to injury, it's unlikely they'll be able to tell enough about his future prospects before the trade deadline, and you don't deal a four-time MVP for a guy you're not sure about.

4. Washington Wizards

Wizards trade Bradley Beal, Markieff Morris, Kelly Oubre, and a future first-round pick for LeBron James

Beal is an All-Star entering his prime and the kind of player who can lead a playoff team, if not quite a championship contender. Morris is a two-way beast when at his best, and Oubre is developing into one as well.

The biggest risk in this scenario is actually being faced by the Wizards, who will have to gamble on whether half of a season with John Wall, Otto Porter Jr., and Marcin Gortat is enough to convince LeBron to stay.

3. Philadelphia 76ers

Sixers trade Ben Simmons, Dario Saric, Richaun Holmes, Trevor Booker, Amir Johnson, and a future first-round pick for LeBron James

Simmons is perhaps the most intriguing talent in this entire pool, as he has been compared - perhaps a bit overzealously - to LeBron himself.

The big question is if he'll be able to get there or not, but even having a guy with that kind of upside is more than most NBA franchises have at the moment. Saric and the pick are nice sweeteners, too, while Booker and Johnson are just cap filler, and Holmes could still go either way.

The Sixers would be a lot more likely to make this trade if they knew exactly what was going on with Markelle Fultz. Otherwise, they're mostly left here with just LeBron and Joel Embiid, but the idea of partnering the King with The Process might be too tantalizing to pass up, no matter the cost.

2. Golden State Warriors

Warriors trade Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Jordan Bell for LeBron James

The crazy thing is, the Warriors are really so loaded, they can trade two All-Stars and still be a contender, regardless of who they get back.

That's not to say Thompson and Green, two essential cogs in Golden State's current system, are expendable, and most Warriors fans may even suggest their team is giving up too much in the deal.

But Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, and LeBron on the same team? Is there any cost that wouldn't be worth that possibility?

It's an exciting prospect - unless, of course, you happen to be a fan of one of the other 29 teams.

1. Boston Celtics

Celtics trade Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Morris, Marcus Smart, Aron Baynes, Gershon Yabusele, and the Lakers/Kings first-round pick via Philadelphia (2018 or 2019) for LeBron James

Basically, this is a supersized version of the Kevin Garnett deal from a decade ago.

The Cavs get two future wing studs in Tatum and Brown, and another chance to a future star with the Lakers'/Kings' first-rounder. Add in a promising, if not flawed, backcourt prospect in Smart, a pair of solid rotation guys in Morris and Baynes, and whatever Yabusele ends up being.

It gives the Cavaliers about as bright of a long-term future as any team in the conference.

Well, any team except the Celtics themselves, of course, who will have a core of Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward (when healthy), Al Horford, and LeBron, while still having some young talent, all of their own draft picks, and even another one still owed to them in 2019 by the Clippers.

Maybe they threaten the Warriors, or maybe Irving gets so frustrated he has to turn his team back over to LeBron that Boston completely implodes. The possibilities are mesmerizing, though.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)