Just 30 games into the season, and it’s already clear that the Golden State Warriors desperately need a shake-up. As is, they simply aren’t a championship-caliber team and may not even be a playoff team if they have to go through the play-in tournament.
Given how well Steph Curry has played this season, they owe it to him to put the best possible team around him, and this ain’t it. That increases the need for them to make a big trade to try to jump-start their title hopes, and the Ringer’s Bill Simmons believes he has just the trade.
Simmons has been beating the drum on a potential Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers swap of an evolving star with LeBron James for months. And given how things have gone for both teams thus far, it doesn’t seem to be as far-fetched as it once did.
The door may be open for a LeBron James – Lakers trade to Warriors
Simmons’ proposed trade is fairly straightforward, with the Lakers shipping out LeBron and presumably Bronny James in exchange for Warriors star Jimmy Butler. The idea of finally pairing LeBron with Curry in the NBA is a tantalizing one but not nearly as exciting as it once would have been.
In year 23, LeBron isn’t nearly the same player that he was even two years ago. How dare he look human! Seriously though, while he is capable of having strong games, he isn’t consistently dropping 27 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists per game. Instead, it’s more like every other game.
That’s still very good but perhaps not enough to move the needle enough for the Warriors to touch the Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets, or San Antonio Spurs. I’d argue that it would increase their ceiling with LeBron still capable of having bigger games than Butler, but Butler is probably the more consistent player of the two.
That is not to mention that LeBron is five years older than Butler and the Warriors are already among the oldest teams in the NBA. They definitely wouldn’t be beating the allegations were they to acquire LeBron.
The Warriors must target a player who can solve their problems
Ultimately, while certainly a spicy trade proposal, it doesn’t really solve Golden State’s biggest needs. They need more size, and a big man such as Milwaukee Bucks center Myles Turner would be a more appropriate trade target.
He might be had for Jonathan Kuminga, a 2026 first, and a 2028 first (unprotected if it falls between 5 and 20). That would be a more worthwhile use of their assets, with Turner being able to protect the rim and shoot at a high level.
He would be a floor raiser for Golden State, with them still likely far from being a true contender, but they would at least have a chance of winning a round or two in the playoffs. Therefore, the Warriors should pass on a chance to land LeBron and pursue someone who fits much better.
