With their dynasty’s window closing, the Warriors are so desperate to try to squeeze one more championship out of this era that they have at least contemplated making moves that would be even more shocking than the Luka Doncic trade.
The Warriors have wondered whether it’s possible to not only reunite with Kevin Durant, but also acquire LeBron James to team the legendary duo with Steph Curry for one more run at a title, according to a Monday report from The Stein Line’s Jake Fischer.
The report notes that Golden State adding both players “currently stands as very unlikely,” in part due to the players’ salaries.
James was reportedly caught “off guard” by the Lakers trading Anthony Davis for Doncic, which he found out about while he was out to dinner with family in New York; the Lakers defeated the Knicks at MSG Saturday night.
There’s a feeling that anything is possible now in the wake of the monumental Doncic trade that shocked fans and everyone around the league.
However, Chris Haynes reported Sunday that James, 40, intends to remain with the Lakers through Thursday’s NBA trade deadline.
And while the Suns have no plans to move Durant, according to Fischer, they are listening when teams ask about him — something Durant is “aware of.”
Durant, 36, famously signed with the Curry-Klay Thompson-Draymond Green Warriors in the summer of 2016, joining a team that had just lost to the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals a year after defeating Cleveland for its first championship in 40 years.
He helped lead them to championships in his first two seasons with the team but tore his Achilles during the 2019 NBA Finals, which the Raptors won, and then left for the Nets in free agency.
The Warriors (24-24), who began Monday in 11th place in the Western Conference — one spot out of the play-in tournament — have also pursued disgruntled Heat star Jimmy Butler, but he has indicated he would not sign an extension with Golden State, ESPN reported.
The Suns (25-23) are eighth in the West while the Lakers (28-19) are fifth.
Durant is fifth in the NBA in scoring average (26.9 points per game) and James is 18th (24 points per game). James is also averaging 9.1 assists and 7.6 rebounds.
Curry is 25th in the league with 22.1 points per game.
The trio led the U.S. to an Olympic gold medal over the summer in Paris.
