The Golden State Warriors have not gotten great news recently when it comes to the LeBron James sweepstakes.
First, Anthony Slater at ESPN reported yesterday that the organization is "pessimistic" about its chances at landing the superstar. Now, Kevin O'Connor at Yahoo Sports has discussed James' apparent desire for one of his suitors to land either Anthony Davis or Kyrie Irving before he makes his decision.
Davis— whom the Warriors have signaled trade intrigue for in the past— is a separate issue entirely considering his current extension situation with the Washington Wizards. But even if Golden State wanted to pivot to Irving at this point in the offseason, it seems as though the Dallas Mavericks' offseason decisions have made that a non-factor.
Ultimately, it seems as though it's Davis or bust for the Warriors, and that probably isn't the avenue they want to pursue at this point in Stephen Curry's career.
The Dallas Mavericks won't move Kyrie Irving— and it leaves the Warriors with almost no path to LeBron
If neither player is available for trade, who knows what James' ultimate decision will be? He needs to sign somewhere, and each of his current suitors have a strong case to be made. But it seems as though the Warriors are not the clear favorites at this point in time, especially not when it comes to a deal for Irving or Davis.
While a Davis trade might remain open, it's likely that any move for Irving is out of the realm of possibility.
With their involvement in the three-team Lu Dort trade, in which they netted Zaccharie Risacher, the Mavericks have now stacked their roster with rangy combo forwards— a staple of new executive Masai Ujiri's tenure with the Toronto Raptors. In addition to Risacher, they also have Cooper Flagg, PJ Washington, Santi Aldama, Morez Johnson Jr., and Naji Marshall on the roster.
There's likely more moves coming from Dallas this offseason. But after moving on from Ryan Nembhard, they have no other bona fide options at point guard apart from Irving. The plan is clearly for Irving to reach full health at the start of the season and help be the engine of this offense while Flagg continues to develop the playmaking package they tried to integrate into his game during his rookie campaign.
The Mavericks, moreover, are not in control of their own first-round pick this season— it's owed to the Charlotte Hornets, protected at first and second overall.
A path to Davis already seems unlikely, especially considering the assets Washington gave up to get him last season. But a path to Irving seems even more impossible at this juncture.
Add us as a preferred source on Google