No, the Golden State Warriors are not going to make a trade for star big man Anthony Davis, and the rumors of the team pursuing such a deal never really made all that much sense, anyway. The agreement to sign Kristaps Porzingis to a two-year, $40 million contract on Monday pretty much sealed that deal. But the LeBron James dream? Well, that is more alive than ever.
James informed the Lakers on Tuesday that he would not be returning to the team, apparently having had his fill of the team’s pivot to a Luka Doncic-Austin Reaves tandem going forward. James could yet return to Cleveland and finish out his career with his hometown Cavaliers. Or he could return to South Beach and play for the Miami Heat, where he starred for four seasons.
But the leading candidate for James services now appears to be the Warriors, where he could team up with coach Steve Kerr, star Stephen Curry and good friend Draymond Green in what could be a very entertaining final act.
Warriors Were Not in on Anthony Davis Trade
Reports on Monday suggested that the Warriors were intent on trading for Davis and signing James to a midlevel exception contract, which was nice in theory, but almost impossible in reality. The Warriors could not afford to do all that and re-sign Porzingis, and they could only get Davis by trading away Jimmy Butler–which they’d assured Butler they would not do.
But on Tuesday morning, ESPN insider Brian Windhorst cleared some things up.
Said Windy in an appearance on “Get Up” this morning: “They signed Kristaps Porzingis. This contract—and Porzingis did not play a lot of games last year for anybody, much less the Warriors—but you’ve got to have big men to compete in the Western Conference. They had to handle this business. …
“The Warriors always dream big, but they took a very responsible step and shored up that center position, pushing off the pipe dream of trying to get the Wizards to send them Anthony Davis.”
LeBron James Push Coming
But the Warriors intend to put the full-court press on James once free agency opens officially on Tuesday evening. It would be a fascinating turn of events for the Dubs, who could field a lineup built around Curry, James, Green and Porzingis, with Butler hoping to come back from his knee injury around midseason.
While Davis would have been splashier, the Warriors had no interest in sending out two first-round draft picks or in giving Davis a four-year, $275 million extension. Gambling on the health of Porzingis is not a safe bet, but it was more sensible and gives the team more flexibility to lure James north even if it means they can’t pull a blockbuster trade.
“It is a pretty good contract for Porzingis, two for $40 million and he gets the player option on the second year,” Windhorst said. “But while the Warriors absolutely can still go after LeBron, and I believe they intend to do so today when the window opens … this maneuver limits what they can do, trade-wise.
“It also limits what Draymond can sign for. They only have about $33 million-ish they will be allowed to spend and that’s got to be split between LeBron and Draymond Green.”
Warriors ‘Intend’ to Sign LeBron James as ‘Pipe Dream’ Dies