According to a report by veteran NBA insider Marc Stein, the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors were involved in preliminary discussions about a potential trade for the 20-time All-Star. The move would have paired James with Steph Curry well before their expected partnership at the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, the talks were quickly shut down by James’ agent and close friend, Rich Paul.
Stein noted in his Substack that the Lakers might have reluctantly considered engaging in serious trade discussions with the Warriors before last February’s trade deadline if James had pushed for it. But the idea never gained momentum largely due to Paul’s strong opposition to the notion of James swapping Southern California for Northern California.
“League sources say the talks between the teams didn’t advance very far because Rich Paul was firmly against LeBron James making the move,” Stein wrote.
Had the trade materialized, it would have made headlines, uniting James with the Warriors’ core of Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green for another championship run. Instead, Thompson is now with the Dallas Mavericks, and James is set to return to the Lakers for the 2024-25 season.
“Sources say Rich Paul urged both teams to abandon the idea… primarily to protect James from potential backlash over switching teams for a fourth time in his career,” Stein added.
James has previously made high-profile moves, leaving Cleveland for Miami in 2010 to join forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, where he won multiple NBA titles. He later returned to Cleveland and led the Cavaliers to a championship in 2016 before moving to the Lakers in 2018.
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