American News: If James applies for a deal, the Clippers can package Bogdan & Powell & Jones as chips

According to previous reports, a person close to James revealed that James actually wanted to leave Los Angeles, and people around him also wanted him to leave the Lakers. Today's American News Fred Katz revealed that if James applies for a transaction, the Clippers can package three people to make the transaction. The following is some of the content.

The Clippers can package the three players, including point guard Powell, substitute scorer Bogdan Bogdanovic and defensive player Derek Jones Jr. to discuss the possibility of a deal. Powell's performance quietly reached his career best last season; Jones was the player who started with Doncic in the 2024 Dallas Mavericks Finals lineup. However, doing so will weaken the team's depth - and it is this depth that makes them extremely competitive last season.

Apparently, they are reluctant to give up starting center Zubac, who made his first All-Defensive team in the 2025-26 season, and a few weeks ago the Clippers were unwilling to include Zubac at the negotiating table when discussing Kevin Durant's deal with the Suns. The Clippers have another option - although this can only be achieved in fantasy: they can trade James with two-time Finals MVP Leonard.

As shown at the end of the season, when Leonard is healthy, he can still destroy opponents on both sides of the offense and defense. But his injuries and problems occur frequently. Their goal is not to consider the first 82 games and make sure his body reaches its best in April. In this sense, even older James is expected to perform better throughout the season.

This deal also clears the Clippers' cap space. Leonard's contract will expire in 2027, while James' contract expires next summer.

With James' contract expiry in 2026, the Clippers will enter a star-studded free agent market with enough cap space to sign a maximum-paid player, and more.

However, the Lakers may not want to pay more than $50 million in the 2026-27 season for a player who is often injured and 35-year-old by then. Unless the Clippers use draft picks to increase the appeal of the trade, Los Angeles may be more willing to keep James in this case.