The Warriors still appear interested in LeBron James.
The Stein Line’s NBA insider Jake Fischer reported Friday that Golden State would consider trading for the Los Angeles Lakers’ superstar if the Warriors first can get Jonathan Kuminga to agree to a flexible, team-friendly two-year contract.
“Who would the Warriors potentially pursue in trades if Kuminga were to relent and take their two-year offer?” Fischer wrote. “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 added that Curry and James, despite their NBA Finals history as classic rivals, “enjoy[ed] their experience as teammates on the international stage” as members of Team USA at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.
That iconic era, of course, ended nearly a year ago with the Americans bringing gold back to the States, notably under Golden State coach Steve Kerr.
Whether or not Kuminga returns to the Bay is yet to be determined. However, if he does, it sounds like the Warriors will, against the 22-year-old’s wishes, dangle him as bait while going for a big catch.
“The Warriors, furthermore, are known for their penchant to go big-game hunting, starting with their original pursuit of Durant in the summer of 2016 and carrying through to their February acquisition of [Jimmy] Butler,” Fischer wrote.
The only time Curry and James were teammates ended as amazingly as it possibly could have. Golden State is right to continue kicking the tires on bringing the unreal international tandem to the Bay.
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