Team USA’s gold medal run in the 2024 Paris Olympics saw how dynamic the Stephen Curry–LeBron James pairing could become in the NBA.
Curry’s recent Instagram posts — removing Warriors from his profile and collaboration with James — had NBA fans excited imagining a dream pairing of the two superstars before they retire.
If Curry seeks a trade to team up with James, Bleacher Report’s salary cap guru Eric Pincus concocted a wild four-team trade that could make that a reality with the Los Angeles Lakers and reset the Golden State Warriors‘ timeline.
Lakers receive: Steph Curry (from Warriors), Day’Ron Sharpe (from Nets), Wendell Moore Jr. (from Detroit Pistons), $3.9 million trade exception (Jalen Hood-Schifino)
Warriors receive: Austin Reaves (via Lakers), Ben Simmons (via Brooklyn Nets), 2029 unprotected first-rounder (via Lakers), 2031 unprotected first-rounder (via Lakers), $2.4 million trade exception (Curry)
Nets receive: D’Angelo Russell (via Lakers), Rui Hachimura (via Lakers), Gabe Vincent (via Lakers), Jalen Hood-Schifino (via Lakers), $23.3 million trade exception (Simmons), $2.0 million trade exception (Dennis Schröder)
Pistons receive: Dennis Schröder (via Nets), Christian Wood (via Lakers), 2025 LA Clippers second-rounder (via Lakers), 2025 Miami Heat second-rounder (38-59, via Nets), $4 million (via Lakers)
Pincus noted that this trade idea “starts and stops with Curry making the request and the Warriors acquiescing.”
Roping in third and fourth teams was necessary for both the Lakers and Warriors to navigate the complicated salary cap limits of the new, restrictive Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Ending the Warriors’ Two Timeline Era
The Warriors have long experimented with the two-timeline era that backfired.
Former No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman is gone and increasingly likely to end up as a bust. Moses Moody cannot get enough floor time. Only Jonathan Kuminga showed flashes of brilliance and he did it by forcing Steve Kerr’s hand last season.
In Pincus’ trade idea, Kuminga can officially take his reins over the team with Curry gone after Klay Thompson left this offseason. The Warriors hit the reset button with two unprotected first-round picks from the Lakers past beyond the Curry, James and Anthony Davis timeline and fully invest in a youth movement.
Plus, Simmons represents an expiring salary the Warriors could potentially move at the trade deadline or let it run its course to open up a large cap room next offseason.
An Austin Reaves–Brandin Podziemski backcourt pairing could bring excitement to the Bay similar to the Curry-Thompson tandem when they were still ascending a decade ago.
The Warriors could immediately do a firesale over their remaining veterans to add more draft capital or keep some of them to guide their young core.
Steph Curry Joins $500 Million Club With New Extension
Curry joined James and former Warriors teammate Kevin Durant as the only NBA player to surpass $500 million in career earnings when he agreed to sign a one-year, $62.9 million player extension.
Curry’s extension was first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
It was the most the Warriors could offer to Curry due to the over-38 rule, according to ESPN’s front office insider Bobby Marks.
The new deal keeps Curry under contract with the Warriors through the 2026-27 season when he’s 39 years old.
With Curry locked up for the next three seasons, the pressure is on for the Warriors to surround him with talent to chase another championship.
Or else, Pincus’ wild trade idea could become a reality in any shape or form.
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Blockbuster Steph Curry Trade Proposal Resets Warriors Timeline