The Los Angeles Lakers are Luka Doncic’s team now. That much is clear. The other thing that is clear is that the team is better with LeBron James on the roster than without him.
However, that does not mean that other teams are not lurking, trying to add the future Hall of Famer to their lineup.
One such team is a rival up north in the Golden State Warriors.
According to NBA Insider Jake Fischer, the Warriors are still very interested in a potential union with James and have made multiple calls to the Lakers.
“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. After all those NBA Finals clashes. James and Curry were said to greatly enjoy their experience as teammates on the international stage. With Golden State’s Steve Kerr, of course, serving as their Olympic coach.”
Jake Fischer
We know that at least one of those calls came last February before the trade deadline, but both teams ultimately chose to stand pat.
Now it appears that the Warriors are attempting again to add James to their lineup with all-world shooter Steph Curry.
Could The Lakers Trade LeBron James To The Golden State Warriors?
The Los Angeles Lakers will certainly field calls. While there is really no way to upgrade this year’s team in trading James, it would certainly set them up for the future. James is on an expiring $52.6 million contract.
It feels very unlikely that he will be back next year; whether that is due to retirement or choosing to sign with another team.
Check Out This Fresh Luka Doncic Tee!
If they did trade him, they would be able to add quite a few pieces and draft capital to build around Doncic for years to come.
However, this roster is good enough to compete for a title this year. Deandre Ayton is the true wild card, but if he can reach his first-overall pick potential, this is a team that can go the distance.
Unless someone like Golden State makes an offer that truly blows them away, I see the Lakers standing pat. If things go horribly wrong in the first half of the season, then perhaps they reassess it at the NBA Trade Deadline.
Thoughts, Laker Nation? Comment below!