It looks like LeBron James will be a member of the Los Angeles Lakers when the new NBA season kicks off just weeks from now. However, where he will be later on is anyone’s best guess, especially after his agent, Rich Paul, implied that another team may give him a better shot at another NBA championship.
As a result, while the trade rumors surrounding James have quieted down since the early weeks of this summer, they will not disappear until perhaps this winter’s trade deadline. In the meantime, while a James trade seems very unlikely, the Golden State Warriors haven’t given up on their dream of pairing James with fellow living legend Stephen Curry.
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Warriors have made multiple attempts to land the league’s all-time leading career scorer over the last 18 months.
“As long as LeBron James’ future in Los Angeles remains uncertain, Golden State will undoubtedly be mentioned as a potential James suitor,” Fischer wrote.
“I’m told that the Warriors have called the Lakers on multiple occasions over the past 18 months to see whether there is any trade pathway to pairing James with Stephen Curry, who roughly a year ago at this time was teaming with LeBron for the United States senior men’s national team on its run to a gold medal at the Paris Olympics. After all those NBA Finals clashes. James and Curry were said to greatly enjoy their experience as teammates on the international stage … with Golden State’s Steve Kerr, of course, serving as their Olympic coach.
“The Warriors, furthermore, are known for their penchant to go big-game hunting, starting with their original pursuit of Durant in the summer of 2016 and carrying through to their February acquisition of Butler.”
Right now, the Warriors are seemingly frozen in suspended animation. Forward Jonathan Kuminga, one of their few young and viable contributors, is a restricted free agent, but they have been in a standoff with him all summer regarding a potential new contract.
With Curry, who is 37 years of age, nearing the end of his storied career, the Warriors have seemed a bit desperate to maximize what is left of his productive years, which led to them trading for six-time All-Star forward Jimmy Butler in February.
James and Curry have become good friends lately, but a trade that would make them teammates in the Bay Area — or any deal involving James — would be nearly impossible to pull off, partly because the 40-year-old has a very rare no-trade clause.
Golden State’s first attempt to land James came just before the 2023-24 trade deadline. The superstar is heading into the final season of a contract that will pay him $52.6 million by next summer.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Warriors have made multiple attempts to trade for LeBron James
