Which newly developed Team USA friendships will impact NBA future?

Since the 2008 Olympics, Team USA has served as a breeding ground for friendships that later changed the NBA landscape.

In 2008, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh formed a pact to play together and subsequently ushered in the player empowerment era by joining forces with the Miami Heat in 2010.

In 2016, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving became obsessed with one another’s basketball artistry, eventually leading to Brooklyn’s free-agency coup in the summer of 2019. In the last Olympics, Durant found a kindred basketball spirit in Devin Booker, culminating in the Slim Reaper requesting a trade to Phoenix in 2023. 

It’s safe to assume that at least one pairing of this 2024 Avengers Olympic roster will bat their eyelashes at one another and team up before the 2028 Olympics. But who will it be?

Most fun pairing: LeBron James and Steph Curry

Per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, who's covering Team USA in Paris: “You cannot help yourself but watch the Stephen Curry-LeBron James connection.” 

Though they’ve been rivals for the past decade, LeBron and Steph are basketball soulmates: One is the greatest combination of athleticism and basketball IQ the game has ever seen; the other is the greatest shooter and offensive innovator in hoops history. 

Even at their advanced basketball ages — LeBron is 39, Curry is 36 — they’re still playing at All-NBA levels and continue to improve aspects of their games to combat Father Time. 

That said, it’s a shame the two didn’t link up last Olympics because there isn’t a clean way to join the other’s team. Curry, who's playing in his first Olympics, is under contract for two more seasons, and the Warriors will never trade him unless he demands it.

While LeBron has a player option next summer, the situation with Bronny James complicates things. Who knows, though? Perhaps the Lakers falter out of the gate, and Warriors majority owner Joe Lacob comes calling for LeBron at the trade deadline.  

Master and apprentice: Kevin Durant and Anthony Edwards

Edwards, the Minnesota Timberwolves star, has told everyone how much he loves Durant for the past few months. Could he be planting the seeds for a future collaboration with his idol? 

These two would mesh perfectly on the court, with Durant playing like a super-version of Karl-Anthony Towns. Their personalities fit like a glove, too, as Ant is one of the more charismatic alpha dogs in the NBA and Durant just wants to ball. 

Regarding feasibility, the Timberwolves aren’t trading Edwards, so KD must join Ant in Minnesota. Durant’s under contract until the summer of 2026, so he’d have to force his way to Minnesota. Plus, he must hope the Suns or Wolves employ salary-cap geniuses who could put a deal together.

Wildcat reunion: Some pairing of Anthony Davis, Devin Booker, Bam Adebayo

Because of the new collective bargaining agreement, we won’t see a "Big Three" of these former Kentucky stars, but we may see two team up.

Team USA head coach Steve Kerr rolled out his Davis-Adebayo bench unit during pre-Olympics games. Imagine the kind of defense Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra could whip up with Bam and AD.

However, the most likely pairing in all of this would be Booker going to the Los Angeles Lakers or Miami if the Suns, who are about as all-in as a team could be, falter this season. 

Booker’s three-level scoring would complement either big man perfectly, as both are great screeners, facilitators and rollmen. And after getting a taste of competing for a championship in 2021, Booker is not going to want to stick around for a Suns rebuild if the Booker-Durant-Beal trio can’t get over the hump. 

PREDICTION: The Suns will implode. Durant will join Ant, and Booker will be dealt to Miami to team with Bam in the summer of 2025.