The Golden State Warriors have reportedly made several attempts to pair LeBron James with Stephen Curry in the Bay Area dating back to the 2024 NBA trade deadline.
Warriors Remain Interested In LeBron James
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Warriors have contacted the Los Angeles Lakers “on multiple occasions over the past 18 months” to express interest in a trade for James.
“As long as LeBron James’ future in Los Angeles remains uncertain, Golden State will undoubtedly be mentioned as a potential James suitor,” Fischer wrote.
“I’m told that the Warriors have called the Lakers on multiple occasions over the past 18 months to see whether there is any trade pathway to pairing James with Stephen Curry, who roughly a year ago at this time was teaming with LeBron for the United States senior men’s national team on its run to a gold medal at the Paris Olympics.”
Then-ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and current NBA insider Ramona Shelburne initially reported in February 2024 that Golden State called the Lakers about trading for James, only for LeBron’s agent, Rich Paul, to inform the Warriors that James wasn’t interested in getting dealt.
Paul Wants What’s Best For James At This Stage Of His Career
In June, Paul provided a statement to ESPN’s Shams Charania after James exercised his $52.6 million option to remain with the Lakers for the 2025-26 season, stating:
“LeBron wants to compete for a championship. He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all.
“We are very appreciative of the partnership that we’ve had for eight years with [governor] Jeanie [Buss] and [general manager] Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.
“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. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what’s best for him.”
James Expected To Play Out His Current Deal
Paul’s statement led to speculation that James could potentially ask for a trade later this summer if he was not satisfied with the Lakers’ offseason moves.
However, when Paul was asked during a recent appearance on TylilShow Live to confirm whether James has plans to leave the Lakers, he made it clear that there’s no trade coming.
“No. The man has a no-trade clause, end of story. It’s up to him if he wants to get traded,” Paul said. “In the event, when a player has a no-trade clause and a team wants to trade the player, that player has the ability to say no.”
It was not the most insightful conversation, as James could just waive his no-trade clause at any point. That’s what Bradley Beal did for the Phoenix Suns before his contract was bought out via the waive-and-stretch provision.
All has been quiet on the James trade front this month. The Lakers also made some notable additions, including center Deandre Ayton, forward Jake LaRavia, and guard Marcus Smart.
Jonathan Kuminga Has Impeded Warriors’ Offseason Plans
The Warriors, meanwhile, have been far less active because of a contract stalemate with forward Jonathan Kuminga. The largest contract Golden State is offering Kuminga at this juncture is a two-year, $45 million deal.
Kuminga, who is a restricted free agent, has indicated that the $7.9 million qualifying offer is more appealing to him. The 22-year-old has been seeking at least $30 million annually on his next contract.
Free agents Al Horford and De’Anthony Melton are awaiting resolution on Kuminga’s contract situation before they can finalize deals of their own with Golden State.
Restricted free agents have until Oct. 1 to accept a qualifying offer.
