Inside The Warriors

Reason for Failed LeBron James to Golden State Warriors Trade Revealed

The Golden State Warriors were interested in trading for Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James

Joey Linn

Jan 27, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (right) talk after the game at Chase Center.
Jan 27, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (right) talk after the game at Chase Center. / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
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It was reported by ESPN ahead of last season's NBA trade deadline that the Golden State Warriors had contacted the Los Angeles Lakers about the possibility of a LeBron James trade. There were different reported reasons as to why such a deal never got far, with one being James himself not wanting to leave the Lakers.

A new report from NBA insider Marc Stein via his Substack revealed that James' agent Rich Paul shut down any idea of a Warriors trade.

"It is believed that the Lakers would have reluctantly entertained trade conversations with the Warriors before last February's trade deadline if James wanted them to seriously engage Golden State on a potential deal," Stein wrote. "Yet league sources say that the reported talks between the teams at the time never got that far in large part because James' agent Rich Paul was adamantly opposed to the idea of James swapping Southern California for Northern California."

Steph Curry and LeBron James
United States guard Stephen Curry (4) and forward LeBron James (6) celebrate after defeating France in the men's basketball gold medal game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena. / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Paul's primary reason for opposing a James to Golden State deal was reportedly the backlash he would face over changing teams again.

"Sources say Paul implored both teams to scrap the concept — despite some owner-to-owner dialogue between the Warriors' Joe Lacob and the Lakers' Jeanie Buss and Green's determination to lobby James to push for relocation to the Bay Area — largely because he wanted to insulate James from potential backlash over switching teams for the fourth time in his career," Stein added.

After seeing the chemistry between James and Steph Curry at the Olympics, this would have been quite the duo.

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Joey Linn
JOEY LINN

Title: Credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation Email: joeylinn52@gmail.com Education: Communication Studies degree from Biola University Location: Los Angeles, California Expertise: NBA analysis and reporting Experience: Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.

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