Lakers Rumors: Warriors May Continue Recruiting LeBron James
The NBA world was retroactively rocked following the trade deadline by a blockbuster trade that wasn't.
Los Angeles Lakers All-Star forward LeBron James apparently turned down a bid from the Golden State Warriors to acquire him in a deadline deal. Because Draymond Green reached out to Green and James' mutual agent Rich Paul (Warriors owner Joe Lacob also had an alleged conversation with Lakers owner Jeanie Buss), one can assume the former Defensive Player of the Year wasn't part of the offing.
In a recent episode of ESPN's Get Up, the Worldwide Leader's columnist/podcaster/broadcaster Zach Lowe speculated that James might remain a target for Golden State into the 2024 offseason.
“You can’t blame the Warriors for trying, and I’ll tell you this… I don’t think the Warriors are done trying because like Steph [Curry] said, why not pick up the phone and keep on trying?” Lowe said.
James has a $51.4 million player option for the 2024-25 season, so theoretically he could sign with the Warriors in free agency should he so choose.
Golden State, James' longtime playoff rival (they've met in four NBA Finals while James was with the Cleveland Cavaliers and once in the 2023 West semifinals when James was with the Lakers), might be able to theoretically make some room to sign James outright, but it would barely approach what he could make by staying with the Lakers. He could also decide to opt and, like James Harden before him, force a trade to his preferred destination. Here's hoping he sticks with the Purple and Gold.
