In an alternate scenario, LeBron James might have become a Golden State Warrior. According to a report by veteran NBA insider Marc Stein, the Lakers and Warriors had tentative discussions about a trade for the 20-time All-Star.
This blockbuster deal would have paired James with Steph Curry long before their eventual partnership for Olympic gold in Paris. However, Stein revealed that James’ agent and close friend, Rich Paul, shut down the talks before they could gain traction.
“It is believed that the Lakers might have reluctantly considered trade talks with the Warriors before last February’s trade deadline if James had wanted them to seriously explore a deal with Golden State,” Stein wrote in his Substack.
“However, league sources indicate that these discussions never advanced largely because Rich Paul was strongly opposed to the idea of LeBron James moving from Southern California to Northern California.”
Had James made the move north, it would have been a game-changing development, giving the Warriors’ trio of Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green another title run together. Instead, Thompson is now with Dallas, and James is set to return to LA for the 2024-25 season.
“Sources say Rich Paul urged both teams to abandon the idea, primarily because he wanted to shield James from potential backlash over switching teams for a fourth time in his career,” Stein added.
James previously left Cleveland to join the Miami Heat, where he won multiple NBA titles with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. He later returned to Cleveland, leading the Cavs to a championship in 2016, before leaving again in 2018 to join the Lakers.
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