Warriors sources confirm to Sam Amick, Anthony Slater and Jovan Buha of The Athletic that Golden State made an unsuccessful run at Lakers superstar LeBron James prior to last week’s trade deadline.
However, there’s “zero indication” the Warriors came close to pulling a deal off, per The Athletic’s report.
Still, the fact that Golden State tried to pry James out of L.A. shows the Warriors are willing to take big swings to try and capitalize on Stephen Curry‘s still-excellent form, despite his advancing age (he turns 36 next month).
And it opened the door to a possible pursuit again this summer, when James could hit unrestricted free agency if he declines his $51.4M player option.
According to The Athletic, James won’t be the only marquee player the Warriors will explore going after, assuming they’re even available.
Their “dream scenario” would be trading for Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, with Clippers wing Paul George and Suns forward Kevin Durant among the other stars on their wish list.
Antetokounmpo has only ever played for Milwaukee and signed a long-term extension before the season began that has him under contract through at least 2027, with a player option for 2027-28.
George holds a $48.8M player option for ’24-25 and has openly said he hopes to sign an extension with the Clippers (he’d have to decline the PO to sign an extension).
Durant, who won back-to-back titles with Golden State in 2017 and 2018, could hit free agency in 2026.
The emergence of Jonathan Kuminga — whom GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. called “virtually” untouchable after the deadline — has given the Warriors an internal pathway to a possible star wing running mate for Curry. He’ll be eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer.
Depending on what route Golden State takes, Kuminga could also be an enticing headliner in a blockbuster trade, The Athletic’s authors note.
As Amick, Slater and Buha write, the Warriors will have all but one of their future first-round picks to trade this summer and will have some financial flexibility as well, with Klay Thompson on an expiring $43.2M contract and Chris Paul on a pseudo-expiring deal (his $30M salary for ’24-25 is non-guaranteed).
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