Warriors’ shot at Lakers superstar not far-fetched after NBA’s latest blockbuster deal

Jan 25, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) passes against the Golden State Warriors during the fourth quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks trading superstar Luka Doncic for Los Angeles Lakers 2020 champion Anthony Davis proves that anything can happen in the NBA. That also means that the Golden State Warriors’ long ties to another Lakers superstar could finally come to fruition.

Warriors may be able to trade for Lakers’ LeBron James

Jan 25, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) defends against Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) during the fourth quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The Warriors were heavily reported to be in the mix to pull off a deal for Lakers all-time great LeBron James ahead of last season’s trade deadline. This time around, Golden State could circle back and try their luck for the four-time NBA MVP. That’s the way The Sporting News’ Colin Keane sees things:

“Golden State might be one of the few destinations that LeBron would be okay going to, based on his admiration and respect for Stephen Curry,” Keane wrote.

“The Warriors would be able to package Andrew Wiggins and a bunch of their expiring contracts — including Jonathan Kuminga — and involve a third team to make the money work.”

Would Lakers take Warriors’ package for James?

The Lakers would inherit a former All-Star in Wiggins who is still young at 29 years of age, a proven champion, and can be a legitimate No. 2 option on a title team. While his scoring has been reduced in accordance with his minutes in Golden State over the last three seasons, the former No. 1 overall pick from 2014 could be a great running mate for Doncic, capable of putting up 20-25 points per game in Los Angeles.

Oct 15, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) dribbles past Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) in the third quarter during a preseason game at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images
Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images

Kuminga would be the most attractive draw for L.A., as he’s widely viewed to be a future All-Star in the league at 22 years old. Draft picks thrown into that proverbial pot would be a good deal for the Lakers to consider, even though other franchises could equip them with a hoard of picks that could set them up for a decade, if that’s what Los Angeles wanted to demand for James.

On the Warriors’ side, the Ohio native may be 40 years old, but he’s still playing at an All-NBA level while leading the Lakers as the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference at 28-19. Next to Warriors superstar Stephen Curry, the two could easily lead Golden State to a championship as soon as they pair up. The duo were the two standout performers of Team USA’s gold medal-winning team at the 2024 Summer Olympics, are All-Star starters this year, and have games that would work well next to one another.

Should the Warriors put their most valuable chips to the front of the table to pursue James, they’d inherit his 24 points, 9.1 assists, and 7.4 rebounds per contest on 51.3 percent shooting from the field and 37.9 percent shooting from three-point range. The Lakers would get athletic wings to thwart the likeliness of Doncic and James’ redundant, ball-dominant games clashing with one another.

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