It's seven years since the L.A. Clippers made a blockbuster double-play for Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, and the Golden State Warriors could be plotting a similar path after reports of their interest in acquiring LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
The Clippers traded for George to entice Leonard home from the Toronto Raptors in free agency, proving a disastrous move given they gave up future 2x MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the process. The Warriors are now contemplating their own two-star move, albeit it wouldn't necessarily hold the same level of upside or downside to what the Clippers orchestrated back in the summer of 2019.
Warriors plotting blockbuster move for LeBron James and Anthony Davis
According to Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor on Sunday night, the Warriors are trying to trade for Davis to use that as an extra and major incentive for James, his former Los Angeles Lakers teammate, to join him in the Bay Area as a free agent.
"Sources say the Warriors hope adding Davis would help lure LeBron from Los Angeles to the Bay Area once free agency officially opens Tuesday. The pitch would be simple: reunite with AD, team up with Steph Curry and Draymond Green, play for Steve Kerr, and chase one more championship with a roster of legends," O'Connor wrote.
It would be a simply stunning move should Golden State prove capable of pulling it off, but it also makes sense and is a realistic possibility given the uncertain futures of both James and Davis, along with the long-term injury to Jimmy Butler.
James appears no closer to signing an extension with the Lakers prior to free agency beginning on Tuesday, while Davis is extension-eligible and has already reappeared in trade rumors despite having not yet played a game for the Washington Wizards.
Warriors offer to Wizards for Anthony Davis is obvious
The positive for the Warriors is that they don't have a young player who might go out in a trade that's going to end up a multi-time MVP, nor would they have to give up the same level of draft assets considering Davis' age and injury history.
The bad news is that just like the Thunder did with George, the Wizards can leverage the fact that James might not head to Golden State if the Davis deal doesn't go down. That means the Warriors could end up paying overs, and they might be willing to if they view it as a Davis-James package.
The offer to the Wizards is obvious regardless. It's Butler as matching salary, then some combination of young players and/or picks that would entice them enough to swap Davis for the injured 6x All-Star.
Acquiring James and Davis would give the Warriors one of the most star-studded teams of all-time, though there would be significant injury risks given every player is past their absolute best and edging towards the end of their career.
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