Was there an attempt by the Golden State Warriors to trade for Los Angeles Lakers standout LeBron James?
The Warriors attempted to acquire LeBron James.
Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN have reported that the Golden State Warriors attempted what would have been one of the biggest trades in recent memory, but it was not quite successful. Prior to last week’s trade deadline, it is believed that the Warriors made contact with the Los Angeles Lakers to see whether LeBron James would be open to a trade that would match him with Warriors star Steph Curry. It is evident that neither James nor his team were interested in such a transaction, even though the specifics of that conversation are still unknown.
What motivated the Warriors to want to acquire LeBron James?
Is it not preferable to ask, “Why wouldn’t they?”? First, some background:
The Warriors are now 10th in the West and are just a few losses away from being eliminated from the Play-in Tournament. Conversely, the Lakers are currently tied for ninth place with them, and it must be acknowledged that neither team appears to be a good buy this season—this is hardly a huge change from where they were a year ago. Regarding James personally, it’s important to remember that he just added some ambiguity to the situation by posting an hourglass emoji on social media. James is the NBA’s all-time points leader.
James, who is 39 years old, has stated that he would really like to take home another championship. Was he effectively announcing his intentions to the Lakers? Though nothing has been spoken about it, the quiet does say a lot. Based on the information available, it appears that Lakers owner Jeanie Buss was contacted by Warriors owner Joe Lacob regarding James. The Lakers’ owner, Wojnarowski Shelburne, reportedly stated that she does not want to see James leave, but Lacob was invited to give James’ agency, Klutch Sports’ Rich Paul, a call. Paul reaffirmed that his client didn’t want to make any moves that would have rendered any trade deal the Warriors had prepared practically worthless, even though Lacob did make the call.
