As the Golden State Warriors' offseason has dragged on, their front office, beyond resolving their lingering Jonathan Kuminga situation, has largely been focused on securing handshake deals with veterans who can provide dependable help for their rotation on relatively cheap contracts.
Yet, as reported by NBA Insider Jake Fischer in the latest edition of The Stein Line newsletter, the Warriors have also shown an interest in big-game hunting, with their front office having inquired about a potential Lebron James trade in recent months.
Although James, who is about to enter his 23rd NBA season, is certainly nearing the end of his career, pairing James with Stephen Curry would not only unite two of the best basketball players of this generation: it would serve as a culmination of an entire era of basketball history.
Lebron James to Warriors continues to get more and more real
According to Fischer, Golden State has showed an enduring interest in facilitating some sort of trade for James: "As long as LeBron James' future in Los Angeles remains uncertain, Golden State will undoubtedly be mentioned as a potential James suitor. I'm told that the Warriors have called the Lakers on multiple occasions over the past 18 months to see whether there is any trade pathway to pairing James with Stephen Curry..."
While such a trade has been among the wildest NBA rumors for years, Fischer's claim that the Warriors have made concrete contact with the Lakers' front office in recent months is a revelation.
Yet, at the same time, such interest makes perfect sense. As James enters the final year of his contract with Los Angeles, it has been widely rumored that he is dissatisfied with how the team has shifted its focus and roster construction towards young superstar Luka Doncic. If James decides to continue his career beyond this year, it is likely that it will be with a new franchise, with the two parties mutually agreeing to part ways.
James is, clearly, still one of the most dynamic offensive players in the league. Last season, through 70 games, he averaged 24.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 8.2 assists while shooting 37.6% from 3-point range and receiving Second-Team All NBA honors.
However, there is no clear path to the Warriors matching James' monstrous $52.6 million salary in a trade apart from parting with recent acquisition Jimmy Butler: a move that would represent one of the most dramatic changes of direction the franchise has undergone in years.
Therefore, while an outright trade this season remains unlikely, Golden State's concrete interest in potentially pairing James with Curry certainly leaves a door open for the unlikely union to take place before the end of the two stars' careers.