Key Takeaways
- The Golden State Warriors tried trading for LeBron James in 2024 and reportedly considered the idea again this offseason.
- The Dubs were among several teams who mulled over a trade offer for The King after Rich Paul's statement following James opting into his player option.
- The 40-year-old has just one season left on his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.
LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers and Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
The Golden State Warriors attempted to trade for Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James during the 2023-24 season, but it never happened. However, the Dubs reportedly thought about revisiting that idea this offseason.
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst reported Friday that Golden State was among several teams that mulled over the idea of making an offer to the Lakers for the NBA’s all-time leading scorer after he opted into his $52.5 million player option following Rich Paul’s cryptic statement on his top client:
"We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what's best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career," Paul said in a statement to ESPN's Shams Charania.
"He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what's best for him."
The message insinuated that Bron didn’t totally believe he could win another title with the Purple and Gold, which had other organizations legitimately considering if trying to acquire James was the right move in the moment.
It’s become clear that the Lakers aren’t going to hand the veteran a new contract. The possibility of 2025-26 being his final season with the franchise is very real, if not his last campaign in the Association in general. It’s understandable why the Warriors were a team interested in James, though. He’s good friends with both Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.
That being said, taking on $52.5 million in salary would be an uphill battle for any team, contender or not. Also, they’d have to give up a whole lot in return for a player who is on the doorstep of retirement. The King isn’t slowing down at 40, however, as he averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists last season en route to a first-round exit at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Building around Luka Doncic is the clear goal for the future in Los Angeles, but if the Lakers are going to make their title dreams a reality in ‘25-26, they will need LeBron at the forefront alongside the Slovenian. So far this offseason, they’ve added Deandre Ayton to fill their gaping hole at center, while also signing Jake LaRavia.
Unfortunately, the franchise hasn’t made any notable moves this summer to make them a serious contender to come out of the West ahead of the Oklahoma City Thunder or new-look Houston Rockets, despite a James-Doncic duo. It’s hard to imagine LA winning another Larry O’Brien with LeBron on the roster.
If he did, for some reason, request a trade, James could go anywhere he pleases as he has a no-trade clause.
