Matt Barnes Prays On LeBron James Teaming Up With Steph Curry 'For Both Of Them'

LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers and Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Matt Barnes spent 15 years in the NBA, but he's best known for his stints with the Golden State Warriors.

The 44-year-old former small forward had his most notable tenure with the Warriors during the 2006-07 season when he emerged as a key member of the team's "We Believe" squad that ended up upsetting the No. 1-seeded Dallas Mavericks in the playoffs.  

Barns spent two years with the Warriors – 2006 through 2008 – before moving on with his NBA career and playing a key role on playoff-contending teams such as the Phoenix Suns, Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, and Los Angeles Clippers. However, he eventually returned to Golden State, ending his career with a championship ring at the conclusion of the 2016-17 season.

Fast-forward more than seven years, and there are still key members from those championship years around, such as Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and head coach Steve Kerr. However, it's clear that the Warriors are in a bit of a reload after Klay Thompson's departure and following a playoff-less season last year.  

Although the Warriors have reloaded with some key pieces such as Buddy Hield and Kyle Anderson, Barnes believes that Golden State will end up in the same situation this year – in a play-in type of scenario.

"I think the West is tough," says Barnes in a one-on-one interview with RG while speaking about his All The Smoke podcast and production company. "The West is a tough and young conference now, which is crazy when you look at Oklahoma City and how much better they got. You look at Minnesota, you look at Dallas. Denver is still right there, I'm looking for Houston to make a big jump this year, Sacramento has DeMar DeRozan. So I don't think it'll be an easy road, I think they'll have an opportunity – if the team stays pat with no other movement – I think they'll probably be in a play-in situation. But they also do have some young talented pieces."

The Warriors finished 46-36, which was actually an improvement over the previous year's 44-38 record. However, they lost their play-in tournament game after finishing 10th in the Western Conference a year after advancing to the semifinals.

While it's clear Golden State isn't the elite squad that won four championships over the past 10 years, Curry has yet to lose a step as he enters a season where he'll turn 37. The 36-year-old averaged 26.4 points per game on 40.8% from beyond the arc while appearing in 74 games – his highest number since the 2016-17 season.

Despite Curry's elite level of play, Barnes can't envision the Warriors being a team in championship conversation with the roster currently constructed the way it is.

"Obviously, Draymond [Green] is an elder statesman that's going to be the voice of that team and then [Brandon] Podziemski and some of these younger guys are going to have to step up. They got slow-mo Kyle Anderson there now and picked up Buddy Hield. I can't necessarily say those moves throw them into the championship conversation. But hopefully, Dunleavy and those guys over there can make a move at some point this year to give Steph and Dray a chance to get into the playoffs and make some noise."

While it's clear Barnes doesn't have high expectations for the Warriors, the same remains true for his other former team from California, the Lakers. Although the Lakers did make it to the playoffs last season, they were unceremoniously eliminated by the Denver Nuggets in the first round in five games.

Although Barnes doesn't see the Lakers as a title contender, he does think it's cool that LeBron James will make history with his son, Bronny James, as the first father-son duo to play together on an NBA court.

"I love 'Bron and Bronny being able to be together," says Barnes. "I'm 44 years old now and I started taking my twins – who are 15 – to play with men. And I was on the court playing with them and I thought to myself, "This is the coolest thing ever." So I couldn't imagine having that on the biggest stage, so I'm really excited for that.  

As far as 'Bron, it's crazy – what did he average, 27, 8 and 9 last year? He'll be 40 this year. So I think he plays as long as he wants to play. I think he has another two years with the numbers he's at. It'll be interesting to see. They didn't make a ton of moves this year. Last year they were on the outside looking in – and I still think they'll be on the outside looking in."

When asked where he believes James will end his career, Barnes wouldn't fully commit to an answer – although he's 85% sure he'll end it with the Lakers. However, he's sure he'll end his career with his son, Bronny.

"I'd probably say 85%, unless he packages Bronny up to go somewhere," says Barnes. "But I think I can safely say he finishes his career with his son. I hope it's the Lakers, but there's no telling with LeBron James."

With both James and Curry in their late 30s winding down their careers on teams with little hope of winning a championship, the idea of two of this generation's greatest stars teaming up before the end of their careers has been thrown around. Barnes is in extreme favor of this idea.

"That's what I'm hoping selfishly," admits Barnes. "Two of the greatest to ever do it, two of the greatest in my generation. The way they play off each other, the way Bron can handle the ball and make plays. I think at this stage of the game – although he still can – I don't think Bron wants to be the leading scorer. I think he wants to be able to have an all-around game like he did in the Olympics, so it doesn't wear his body out as much.  

As a fan, I pray that happens for both of them. Even if they don't end up winning, but just for the chance for all of us to see. They've had so many great battles over the years, to see them finish their careers together would be amazing."