Warriors Tried To Trade For Lakers’ LeBron James

According to Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, the Golden State Warriors tried to trade for Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James at the NBA trade deadline.

LeBron and Warriors forward Draymond Green have the same agent (Rich Paul of Klutch Sports Group) and Golden State star Stephen Curry and LeBron have developed a relationship over the years after being rivals during LeBron’s second stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

However, neither the Lakers nor LeBron were interested in a Warriors trade happening. 

LeBron can become an unrestricted free agent this offseason if he declines his 2024-25 player option worth $51.4 million. The King remains focused on returning to the Lakers, sources told ESPN. 

The Warriors and Lakers faced each other in the 2023 Western Conference Semifinals. LAL won the series in six games. It was the first time Golden State didn’t reach the NBA Finals in the Steve Kerr era after making the playoffs. 

The Lakers and Warriors are ninth and 10th, respectively, in the Western Conference standings. Both teams have had disappointing seasons. 

LeBron, 39, is averaging 24.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 7.8 assists this season while shooting 52.0% from the field, 39.5% from beyond the arc and 74.1% from the free-throw line. Despite being the oldest player in the NBA, The Akron Hammer is still an elite force. 

According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Lakers “strongly prefer” LeBron retire with them. 

“Team sources say the Lakers would strongly prefer that LeBron James retire in their jersey someday, meaning he holds all the cards until his contract situation gets figured out,” Amick wrote. “The Lakers’ top decision-makers have no illusions about that much.”

LeBron joined the Lakers in the summer of 2018. The NBA’s all-time leading scorer led LAL to the 2020 championship at the Walt Disney World bubble.