As the NBA Finals inch closer to an end, the NBA offseason is beginning to heat up, and rumors are already swirling around the league. The Golden State Warriors are among the teams consistently finding themselves in the middle of the speculation, particularly regarding their reported interest in Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James.
Staying with the Lakers is widely believed to be his preferred choice because he is so entrenched in Los Angeles now after eight seasons with the purple and gold. Yet league sources maintain that Golden State remains legitimately interested in adding LeBron to their Stephen Curry/Jimmy Butler/Draymond Green core coached by Steve Kerr ... with the pitch presumed to include the idea that LeBron could commute from Los Angeles to some TBD degree without having to move his family.
While James joining the Warriors may not carry quite the same weight it would have five or 10 years ago, there’s no denying that a Curry-James partnership would still captivate the basketball world. Warriors fans got a glimpse of that during the 2024 Paris Olympics, where the two superstars thrived together under the guidance of head coach Steve Kerr. The chemistry was undeniable, leaving many to wonder what it might look like over the course of an 82-game season.
Of course, adding James would do little to address the Warriors’ need to get younger. Even so, the 41-year-old remains one of the league’s most productive players, averaging 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 7.2 assists this past season in what some considered to be a reduced role with the Lakers. He also appeared in 60 regular-season games, and while his 33.2 minutes per game marked the lowest average of his career, his 1,989 total minutes played would have ranked second on the Warriors behind only Brandin Podziemski.
Whether this latest report ultimately leads anywhere remains to be seen. But if Golden State is indeed entering the final chapter of Curry’s championship window, there may be no more fascinating way to end it than by pairing Curry with the very player who once stood as the dynasty’s greatest rival.
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“If he wants to play for three million, he could do it, but until I hear from [James’ agent] Rich Paul that LeBron is ready to play for three million, I’m not going to believe it. But, I’d watch Golden State. He played with Steph Curry and Steve Kerr on the Olympic team. We know he’s close with Draymond Green. I still think it’s the Lakers. I say 51 percent Lakers, and then we’ll see.”
His influence transcends hoops: this year’s animated sports comedy GOAT, which was inspired by his story, made nearly $200 million worldwide; Curry, a producer on the film, made his voice-acting debut—as a giraffe. The foundation he started with his wife, Ayesha, has pledged $25 million to narrow the literacy gap in Oakland’s underserved communities.
Also: There is an increasing belief leaguewide that they would prefer to wait until after the NBA Finals before completing a deal to see if the Knicks end up squandering a 2-0 series lead. Might the Knicks then decide to re-enter the Giannis Trade Sweepstakes in response to the disappointment of letting the title slip away?
In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:
So there’s 20 years worth of No. 11 picks. The conclusion, as always? Just draft Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Klay Thompson, obviously.
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