A dreary deadline almost saw a seismic transfer of power in the West, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne reported that the Golden State Warriors unsuccessfully tried to trade with the Los Angeles Lakers to acquire LeBron James.
The trade would have paired James with rival Steph Curry. The two faced off in four consecutive NBA Finals, with the Warriors holding a 3-1 edge in the matchup.
According to the report, Warriors owner Joe Lacob initially reached out to Lakers owner Jeanie Buss, hoping that public frustration with the Lakers’ recent woes could be alleviated by a trade. The Lakers said they had no interest in trading James, saying he had to check in with his agent Rich Paul.
The conversation was reportedly spurred by Warriors forward, fellow Klutch client, and James’ friend Draymond Green. After he lobbied for a trade with Lacob, Green followed it up with a text to James asking him to join the Warriors. Green was famously pivotal in the recruitment of Kevin Durant to the Warriors.
Rumors of a potential James trade initially surfaced in the waning hours before the trade deadline from KTLA anchor David Pingalore. While Pingalore is no Woj or Shams in NBA insider circles, he did have early hits on Kawhi signing with the Clippers and was early to report on both LeBron’s return to Cleveland and his decision to join the Lakers. Paul eventually snuffed out any idea that James would be traded.
According to the report, the Warriors weren’t the only ones to reach out about James. Philadelphia 76ers president Daryl Morey inquired with Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka to test the waters about a James acquisition. He was immediately rebuffed, turning it back on Morey by asking if Embiid was available.
James, 39, has a $51.4 million player option in the 2024-25 season. Despite his age, James is still playing at an All-NBA level. He currently leads the Lakers with 24.8 points per game, 7.8 assists per game, and is second behind Anthony Davis with 7.2 rebounds per game. James is 11th in the league in BPM and is still capable of contributing to an NBA franchise.
The four-time MVP isn’t completely committed to sticking with the Lakers, either. He has openly discussed the potential of playing with his sons, Bronny and Bryce, no matter where they end up. Bronny’s first season at USC was derailed after undergoing cardiac arrest at a preseason basketball practice. Bryce is still in high school and not eligible for the NBA Draft until 2026.
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