December is here and so are the trade rumors. In a few days, a big chunk of the league will become trade-eligible including Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, who is already making huge waves in the market. But, that’s nothing new. The case has been such for a few years now, that James’ name has been attached to several of the teams in the league.

But, the Golden State Warriors have come up as the frontrunners in the conversations. The Dubs according to ESPN, inquired about the Lakers star last season as well, but a deal couldn’t be worked out. However, now Lakers coach JJ Redick has given an interesting update ahead of their next matchup as he said, “LeBron James is not with the team because of personal reasons, per JJ Redick.” As per Jovan Buha of The Athletic.

Although nothing has been confirmed as of now, Lakers fans are worried due to this and are speculating his absence is related to the trade talks that have been happening in the past few days. Well, Redick did not reveal the specific reason for James’ absence but the 39-year-old missed the team’s most recent game due to an injury and was excused an absence for Wednesday’s training session which might have been regarding the same.

While Austin Reaves did practice for the most part both him and James are game-day decisions for Friday’s clash against the Timberwolves. The Lakers faithful are hoping James skipping team practice isn’t related to the rumors of him switching cities to join forces with Steph Curry at the Warriors.

What would it take for the Warriors to land LeBron James?

The rumor mill has it that the Warriors have not given up on the idea of bringing James and Curry together just yet. However, there are several factors that need to be considered before one truly lets their mind run wild here. Firstly, LeBron has a no-trade clause on his contract meaning the decision to put an end to his time in Los Angeles is completely on him.

Furthermore, should he give his blessing to the trade, the next part is where it gets really tricky. How much is the veteran worth in a possible trade? That is quite tough to figure out, isn’t it? Then there’s James’ wish to share the court with his son Bronny James, who will have to be a part of the deal at any cost. On the other hand, the Warriors don’t have enough pieces at their disposal apart from Andrew Wiggins and maybe De’Anthony Melton which will only get them halfway.

So, a draft capital trade could be on the cards with Wiggins rerouting to L.A. along with a few picks, which could offer Lakers satisfaction only if they are pursuing a rebuild. It seems highly unlikely for James to leave Los Angeles given the trade complexity but either way, we will have to wait and watch until 15th December when he becomes trade-eligible.