What It Would Have Taken to Get LeBron James to the Warriors at the Trade Deadline

LeBron James and Stephen CurryEzra Shaw/Getty Images

The NBA trade deadline came and went without the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors making any dramatic changes.

Spencer Dinwiddie joined L.A. after a buyout, and Golden State unloaded Cory Joseph to save money, but the cores of both teams are generally the same.

On Wednesday, we found out at least one of those organizations considered another route.

“Over a clandestine 24-hour window prior to the trade deadline Thursday that included owner-to-owner conversations, the Golden State Warriors made an unsuccessful bid to convince the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James to consider a trade to pair him with longtime rival Stephen Curry,” Adrian Wojnarowski wrote for ESPN. “The Warriors were eager to present a package deal to L.A., but neither the Lakers nor James were willing to explore a potential blockbuster.”

There aren’t any details on what that package was (or would’ve been). In fact, there may be an implication that the teams didn’t even get to the phase where names and picks were being exchanged.

Which begs the question in the headline: What exactly could the Warriors have offered to pry LeBron away from the Lakers?

First, and perhaps most important, is the intangible consideration. Golden State would’ve given LeBron the chance to play with his lone competition for “player of this generation” honors.

Less than a month ago, LeBron and Stephen Curry faced each other in one of the best games of the season. The former had 36 points, 20 rebounds and 12 assists in L.A.’s double-overtime win. The latter dropped 46 points and seven assists. Draymond Green, who was reportedly lobbying for the LeBron-Curry connection at the deadline, had 14 rebounds and 11 assists in that game.

The entire 58-minute showcase provided an overload of nostalgia. These two superstars and top-10 players of all time have faced each other in the Finals four times. Watching them exchange haymakers, even as the post-prime versions of themselves, was beyond fun.

Seeing them together would be too.

LeBron’s playmaking would’ve created even more open looks for Curry on the outside. And the gravity that Curry creates running off the ball would’ve created wider driving lanes than LeBron’s ever seen. For two of the least selfish on-court players we’ve ever seen, synergy between the two would’ve been easy to find.

Unless he was concerned about the potential “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” narrative that followed Kevin Durant, LeBron would have to at least be intrigued about the possibility of joining forces with Curry. And unlike Durant, James actually beat the Warriors the last time he faced them in the playoffs. Maybe that would’ve helped a bit from a narrative standpoint.

But this is the NBA, a professional sports league with trade rules dictated by a collective bargaining agreement. Golden State would’ve had to offer something more than “this would be fun” to bring the Lakers to the table.

Presumably, Draymond wouldn’t have been part of the offer. Per Wojnarowski, the Warriors were “armed with the encouragement” of Green in going after LeBron.

Klay Thompson probably wouldn’t have been available either. His basketball mortality has been a common topic of conversation this season, and his scoring efficiency is down from last season. But he’s a franchise legend, and he’d likely get more open looks in an offense that boasts both Curry and LeBron.

In terms of the big contracts needed to get to LeBron’s $47.6 million salary, that leaves Andrew Wiggins (having the worst season of his career by the catch-all metric, box plus/minus) and Chris Paul (a 38-year-old, oft-injured point guard).

CP3 could actually have some value to a team that might be steering toward a rebuild with a deal like this. His $30 million salary for 2024-25 is non-guaranteed.

Wiggins, on the other hand, has a contract that runs through 2026-27 (when he has a $30.2 million player option). Taking him on would likely require some long-term assets (on top of what would already be involved just by virtue of the fact that LeBron is in the deal).

Money-wise, LeBron and Gabe Vincent for Paul, Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga (who’s emerged as Golden State’s second- or third-best player over the last several weeks) works, but L.A. might insist on multiple first-round picks and Brandin Podziemski on top of that.

If the Lakers emerged with a roster that included Anthony Davis, Kuminga, Podz and a deeper trove of future picks, they’d actually be in pretty good shape. Despite the fact that he’s still playing at an All-NBA level, 39-year-old LeBron may not have many (if any) title runs left in him with the Lakers.

That’s the same reason such a move would come with a lot of risk for the Warriors. They’ve hovered around the same range in the standings as L.A. all season. On paper, a team with Curry, Green and Thompson might give LeBron a chance at his fifth ring, but all three are older than AD. There may still be some developmental runway for Austin Reaves too. And the Lakers might be able to chase a third star with the first-round three picks it has available to trade this summer.

As far as LeBron’s best potential situation goes, there are arguments for both of these teams.

There’s also an argument the Warriors would be better off without a deal for LeBron.

Golden State has control of all its first-round picks from 2025 to 2029. Kuminga is 21 years old, often looks like a young Amar’e Stoudemire around the rim and is averaging 22.9 points over his last 14 games. Podziemski turns 21 this month, is already sixth on the team in wins over replacement player and is averaging 11.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.3 turnovers over his last 13 games.

This team is surging toward a playoff spot and suddenly looks like it has a post-Curry future. Does it really want to surrender that for a player who’ll turn 40 next season?

The answer should probably be no, but the question might come up again.

Depending on how the Lakers and Warriors finish this campaign, uneasiness could bring either or both teams together again this summer.

Assuming he picks up his player option, LeBron has one more year on his contract.

The trade deadline has passed, but the possibility of a LeBron-Curry pairing hasn’t.