Warriors And Lakers Reportedly Had Talks About Potentially Trading LeBron James To Link Up With Steph Curry

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The NBA trade deadline came and went last week, and it was underwhelming for those who were begging for big-splash moves. In an alternate reality that may not have been too far out of the realm of possibility, it could have been the most-historic deadline day ever thanks to LeBron James and Steph Curry.

According to ESPN, the Warriors and Lakers kicked the tires on trading James to Golden State to team up with Curry. This wasn't some one-off conversation, either, discussions between team owners and agents took place.

The LeBron James Museum will open in Akron on November 25

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Golden State ultimately "made an unsuccessful bid to convince" the Lakers and James to consider a move to the Warriors. The report oddly noted that Golden State was "armed with encouragement" from Draymond Green about inquiring about a James move. Green can't stay on the court because he can't keep his hands off of other players, but it's clear his blessing still matters inside the building in San Francisco.

"Armed with the encouragement of Warriors star Draymond Green, Golden State owner Joe Lacob reached out to Lakers owner Jeanie Buss to inquire whether James' apparent public frustration could be interpreted as an opening to discuss a trade, sources said, according to Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne.


"Buss told Lacob the Lakers had no desire to trade James, but that he would need to seek the answer on James' state of mind from his agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, sources said…In the end, the answer was returned resoundingly on the eve of the trade deadline: Paul told Lacob and Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy Jr., that James had no interest in a trade and wanted to remain a Laker, sources said. When Dunleavy reached out to Lakers GM Rob Pelinka in those pre-trade deadline hours, Dunleavy had been told the same: The Lakers wanted to keep James, sources said."

The takeaway here is simple, the fact that conversations between owners actually took place regarding James' interest in a potential move gives legitimate validation for the rumors of LeBron's potential uneasiness with Los Angeles and the front office.

READ: Brian Windhorst Goes Into Full Conspiracy Theory Mode After LeBron James Uses A Knicks Towel

Speculation about James not exactly being thrilled with how things are going with the Lakers has been an off-and-on discussion essentially since he arrived in 2018. While it may not have turned into anything, credit to Lacob for picking up the phone and checking on the current state of affairs regarding James in LA.

Talks about this potential deal sending James to the Warriors will die down sooner rather than later, but it's a safe bet it will be re-hashed to oblivion during the NBA offseason with LeBron holding a $51.4 million player option on his contract for next season.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.