Rumor: The Golden State Warriors could trade for LeBron James

A new trade rumor has LeBron James heading to the Golden State Warriors

An NBA executive believes that if LeBron James is moved at all, the Golden State Warriors are the most likely team to land the future Hall of Famer. James, a forward on the Los Angeles Lakers, remains one of the better players in the NBA but his Lakers squad has fallen apart. In typical James fashion, he pushed his team to move the younger players they were building themselves around for grizzled, old has-beens.

It’s worked well, for the Western Conference, as the Lakers and James had just one good year where they won the highly controversial and oftentimes discredited NBA “Bubble” Championship in 2020.

Outside of that, the Lakers have had three losing seasons with James, with the third being the current season. The Lakers need to make massive moves sooner rather than later, and that includes trading James and Anthony Davis.

According to Heavy Sports‘ Sean Deveney, one NBA exec believes that if and when James is moved, the Warriors are the team he may eventually end up on.

"If there is a bidding war going on at some point, the Warriors are in a great position because they can give you the young guys – [James] Wiseman or [Jonathan] Kuminga or [Moses] Moody, or [Pat] Baldwin, whoever the Lakers want.But you have to add either Poole or [Andrew] Wiggins, and that’s not easy. But if they want to win now, you can give up Poole if you are getting back LeBron, right? If they keep Draymond [Green] and come back with Steph [Curry], Klay Thompson, Draymond and LeBron, that would be a fun, fun team to watch."

LeBron James going to the Golden State Warriors would be a huge hurdle for the Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers are poised to get to the playoffs this year without LeBron James for the first time since the late 1990s. They’re not only poised for a James-free playoff appearance but a James-free shot at the NBA Championship.

Yet, if James were to go to the Warriors, mirroring the Warriors getting Kevin Durant in 2016, then the Cavs will once again have to deal with Golden State’s super team. Granted, it won’t be the same superteam, as Klay Thompson and Draymond Green aren’t what they were, and James himself has slowed down a bit as well.

The Cavs have their own franchise star in Donovan Mitchell, who is considered the best shooting guard in the league currently. Then they have guys about to ascend to that level in Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen, so this Cavs team wouldn’t be the same wounded ducks that they were in 2017 and 2018, but the Cavs would still have to contend with a Warriors squad too good to make mistakes against.

James would likely accept the trade, as he’s always been a ring-chaser, so there’s no reason to think he wouldn’t gladly go to Golden State to try and get Ring No. 5.