Did the Golden State Warriors try to trade for Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James?
Though hard to believe, reports indicate that the Golden State Warriors did in fact attempt a coup this past week, one that would have shaken the NBA and its fans to the very core had it been successful. So, what went down and why didn’t it work?
The Warriors tried for a LeBron James trade
According to reports from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne, the Golden State Warriors tried what would have been one of the biggest moves in recent memory, only it didn’t quite work. It’s understood that the Warriors contacted the Los Angeles Lakers at some point before the trade deadline last week in an effort to determine whether LeBron James would be interested in a trade that would see him pair up with Warriors superstar Steph Curry. While the details of that call remain unclear, what is clear is that neither James nor his team were interested in such a deal.
Why did the Warriors make a move for LeBron James
Perhaps the better question is ‘Why wouldn’t they?’ For starters, there is the context: The Warriors are currently 10th in the West and a few losses away from slipping out of Play-in Tournament contention. The Lakers on the other hand are currently just ahead of them in 9th and it’s got to be said that neither team looks like good value for money this season and that’s not much different from where they were last season. As for James himself, it’s worth noting that the NBA’s All-time points leader made the waters a little murkier recently when he took to social media to post an hourglass emoji.
At 39 years old, James has made it clear he’d very much like to win another title. Was that him essentially putting the Lakers on notice? There’s been no word on that, but the silence does speak volumes. Regarding what we know of how it all went down, reports suggest that Warriors owner Joe Lacob called Lakers owner Jeanie Buss to make the inquiry about James. As per Wojnarowski Shelburne, the Lakers owner made it clear that she does not want to see James go, however, Lacob was reportedly invited to call James’ agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports. While Lacob did in fact make the call, Paul reiterated the idea that his client didn’t want to make any move such that any trade package that had been prepared by the Warriors was essentially left dead in the water.
Was Draymond Green a broker in the deal?
One interesting aspect of what transpired was the role that Warriors star Draymond Green played. As per reports, Lacob wasn’t simply acting on the belief that James was unsettled due to his cryptic post, but also on the back of advice that he received from a member of the Warriors roster: Draymond Green.
Indeed, James and Green are known to be longtime friends. What’s more is that Green has been instrumental in the recruitment of big-name players before, having helped in the acquisition of Kevin Durant. To that end, Green was reportedly the individual who first reached out to Paul at Klutch Sports, something that makes sense given that he is also a client of the super agent. It remains a mystery as to whether Paul responded to Green, but at this point it’s irrelevant. What we do know is that LeBron James isn’t going anywhere for the time being, but it’s something to think about what could have been.
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