Getty LeBron James looks on during a bout between his LA Lakers and the Golden State Warriors.
Once upon a time, Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry and fellow GOAT candidate LeBron James were bitter rivals in the battle for NBA supremacy. More recently, though — with their Finals battles in the rearview mirror — the competition between the two has cooled.
Not only that — James has been cozying up to Curry on the off chance that there could be a team-up in their future. At least, that’s what Bill Simmons and Brian Windhorst seemed to insinuate during the September 28 episode of the former’s podcast.
“He did not seemingly like Steph Curry and there was a real rivalry there and he was very dismissive of the Warriors… there was a lot of something,” Simmons said.
“But then, in the last couple years, LeBron starts taking Curry when he’s the All-Star captain. Last year, he was going out of his way to praise Curry and was doing tweets during the playoffs like, ‘Oh my God, this boy’s red hot!’ and stuff he never did. And I was like, ‘Hmm, I wonder if he’s greasing the skids just in case.'”
If any of the involved parties were actually, legitimately interested in realizing such a partnership, here’s one trade that could make it happen.
LeBron & Steph Join Forces in This Deal
Before we get into this exercise, it’s worth noting that James can’t actually be traded until mid-to-late February of 2023. That date is significant because the trade deadline for the upcoming campaign actually falls several days earlier on Feb. 9.
So, any deal between the Dubs and the Lake Show featuring LeBron as its centerpiece would have to be consummated after the season. That said, LA may be more inclined to move on from James at that point if they continue their backward slide in 2022-23.
In any case, here’s the trade we’re proposing:
- Golden State Warriors receive F LeBron James
- Los Angeles Lakers receive G/F Andrew Wiggins, C James Wiseman, a 2026 first-round pick and a 2028 first-round pick
Adding James to the mix would give Golden State one of the most talented starting fives in NBA history. Steve Kerr would have an ability to use him in a variety of ways, too — at the four, as a small-ball the five, he could play some point forward, et al. The team’s key offensive cogs would all have to sacrifice to get LeBron his touches, of course, but that’s something they have experience with from the Kevin Durant years.
Bottom line: LeBron probably makes the Warriors the title favorites in 2023-24 and 2024-25 (assuming the baller opts into the final year of his deal).
Meanwhile, the Lakers get a blue-chipper and a pair of picks to jumpstart their post-LeBron/AD rebuild, plus an All-Star in Wiggins who they could either swing for more assets or incorporate into their new core.
This trade does assume the Dubs are extending Wiggins at something around his current annual salary, as well as picking up Wiseman’s $12.1 million option for 2023-24. In that scenario, they’d have the ability to match financials on James’ $46.9 million rate.
Steph May Not Sign Off on Such a Deal
Despite this new love fest that’s going on between them, there’s a better-than-average chance that Steph is content with the crew he has now. Consider his recent comments to Rolling Stone when he was asked about the possibility of the Warriors re-acquiring Durant:
“If you said, ‘Oh, KD’s coming back, and we’re gonna play with him,’ I had so much fun playing with him those three years, I’d be like, ‘Hell, yeah!’ Then you have to think: What does that actually mean? What does it look like? You tell me I’m playing with [current Warriors teammates Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole, and Draymond Green], I’m like, ‘Hell, yeah!’”
There’s also the luxury tax situation to consider. This past offseason, the Warriors decided to let both Gary Payton II and Otto Porter Jr. walk, largely for financial reasons. And with the team still staring down another nine-digit tax payment after ’22-23, the idea they’d designate $50ish million to one player (before the tax penalties) seems a bit farfetched.
Especially when one considers that the player in question would turn 40 before the end of his deal.