Will LeBron James finish his career with the Los Angeles Lakers? If the Golden State Warriors have their way, the answer will be no. The Warriors have contacted the Lakers multiple times in the last 18 months to inquire about trading for James, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line.
Here’s more from Fischer, emphasis mine:
“As long as LeBron James’ future in Los Angeles remains uncertain, Golden State will undoubtedly be mentioned as a potential James suitor. 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.”
Fischer also noted that Curry and James “were said to greatly enjoy their experience as teammates on the international stage.”
The Warriors’ interest in James was first reported around the 2024 trade deadline, when Adrian Wojnarowski indicated that Warriors owner Joe Lacob contacted Lakers owner Jeanie Buss to discuss the possibility. Buss told Lacob to speak to James’ agent, Rich Paul, who made it clear that James wanted to remain with the Lakers.
Fischer’s report is the first time that the Warriors’ continued pursuit of James has been revealed.
This has been an interesting summer for James and the Lakers, who are in the process of transitioning from the James era to the Luka Dončić era. Dončić, who arrived in a blockbuster trade ahead of the deadline this season, signed a three-year, $165 million extension on Aug. 2.
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Ramona Shelburne, James has not been thrilled about how the Lakers have handled that process.
“James understood the Lakers taking advantage of an opportunity to pivot to the younger superstar. But from James’ perspective, sources said, nuance was sometimes lost during the transition,” Windhorst and Shelburne wrote.
Prior to Dončić’s extension, James decided to pick up his…
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