Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and his agent, Rich Paul, put out a statement that sounds like they may consider requesting a trade at some point soon, and if that reality comes true, the Golden State Warriors would be a perfect landing spot. It would finally open up the window for a dream team-up of James and Stephen Curry.
"LeBron wants to compete for a championship," Paul told Shams Charania of ESPN. "He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we've had for eight years with Jeanie [Buss] and Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.
"We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what's best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what's best for him."
The two megastars competed against each other in the NBA Finals for years, and fans finally got a sneak peek at what the duo could look like during the 2024 Olympics, where the pair won a gold medal together in Paris.
If James ends up actually requesting a trade, the Warriors could be drooling at the chance to bring him on board.
How could Warriors trade for LeBron James?
At face value, it would be difficult for the Warriors to make a James trade happen, despite the fact that they won’t have a ton of players on their books heading into the offseason.
Unfortunately for his friendship with James, Draymond Green would almost certainly have to be in the trade.
From a purely financially oriented perspective, a package of Draymond Green, Buddy Hield, and Moses Moody would get the Warriors to James’ salary in a trade. However, the Lakers would absolutely require more in a deal if they end up trading their franchise centerpiece (or one of them).
At that point, a trade would completely depend on how much leverage James takes away from the Lakers. Does he blatantly request a trade? Does he tell the Lakers that he wants to play with Curry? Does he say nothing and leave the Warriors to bid as much as possible?
All of those questions would have to be answered before negotiations begin, as they would all have a direct impact on the price Golden State would have to pay to bring James on board and pair him with Curry.
Are the Lakers actually going to trade LeBron James?
Probably not.
For as much as James and Paul’s statement sounds like he could be gearing up to request a trade, the reality is that he’s probably just trying to push the Lakers to make additional moves.
He wants them to make trades and add players who can help him and Luka Doncic compete for titles right away, and by threatening to request a trade, he could force the Lakers’ hands into making said deals.
But from here on out, teams should at least be wary of a potential trade request. The Warriors included.