This is one I have not heard. Not even by blue-skying Lakers fantasists.

LeBron James … to the Lakers?

Yes. The Lakers. LeBron. LeBron to the Lakers, to play with Kobe. Beginning next season.

Who says so? Sam Smith says so. And Sam Smith is one of the most highly regarded NBA writers in the country, a guy who covered Michael Jordan and the Bulls in their glory days.

Can this happen? How could it happen?

Sam Smith actually believes it can, and describes why and how.

Here is a link to his post. He now apparently works directly for the Chicago Bulls, perhaps in the same way that Rich Hammond works for the Los Angeles Kings. But this isn’t about the Bulls. This is about LeBron … and Kobe. On the same team.

If you don’t want to read the entire post, here is the gist of it:

–The options usually associated with LeBron and his looming free agency are not attractive, and becoming less so. Staying in Cleveland? The Cavaliers look as if they’re back-sliding, not getting better. The Shaquille O’Neal Experiment already appears to be a failure, and there go the Cavs. And New York? The Knicks are a train wreck. Does LeBron want to be part of that? Does he want to have a supporting cast inferior to the one he already has? OK, how about New Jersey? Almost as awful as the Knicks, just not as well-known.

–LeBron is one of the few great players in the history of the game who would be willing to be considered a second banana for a year or two. Jordan couldn’t do it, Shaq couldn’t do it, Kobe won’t be able to anytime soon … but Smith insists LeBron could, until Kobe acknowledges he can’t do what he used to do (and that day isn’t far off), recalling LeBron’s performance as a role player at the 2008 Olympics. LeBron also would know he would slide into the No. 1 role soon, without even having to talk about it, as Kobe heads into his golden years. With LeBron becoming the Magic Johnson to Kobe’s second-option Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

–How do the Lakers pay LeBron? They can’t sign him as a free agent because they don’t have cap space. But Smith believes that if LeBron tells the Cavaliers he is leaving, no question about it … that the Cavs would be willing to do a sign-and-trade with the Lakers. And to make the salaries match up, the Lakers send back Andrew Bynum, Ron Artest and some other collection of players not including Pau Gasol. Probably including Lamar Odom.

Why would the Lakers go for this? Because it would make them championship favorites for, oh, the next 5-10 years. (Kobe is 31, but LeBron is only 24.)

Why would LeBron? Because he wants to win championships, and he could do it right away with the Lakers. Plus, L.A. is the top NBA city, the only city in the country, actually, where the NBA team is the biggest sports team in town. (Yes, Dodgers fans; it’s true.) Also, it puts LeBron right in Hollywood, if he wants to do the media thing. And, in L.A., he might even be able to live something resembling a normal life because it’s already a star-studded town.

Why would Cleveland go for this? Because taking some package of Lakers beats the heck out of getting nothing when LeBron goes to sign elsewhere as a free agent.

I still don’t think this is likely. If there is anything I learned about NBA players after being around them for three decades, it’s that the Alpha Dogs do not like to share. That is why Kevin Garnett was never going to come to the Lakers. That’s why Shaq and Kobe didn’t work out.

I could see LeBron being far more selfish than Sam Smith believes … I could see Kobe saying “this is my team, and I will not share it” and, essentially, veto a trade.

Still, this is an interesting concept. It’s not based on any reporting. It’s not based on leaks.  This is just a veteran writer sitting down and looking at the situation and coming up with a novel result.

It would be great for the Lakers. Enormous. Jerry Buss could jack up tickets another 50 percent and still sell out the joint. A team of Kobe, LeBron and Gasol … how does it not win four or five titles in five or six years?

Interesting concept, anyway.