The Golden State Warriors are making a run at both LeBron James and Anthony Davis this offseason. And if they pull it off, someone’s going to get squeezed out of the rotation. Probably Kristaps Porziņģis.
NBA insider Kevin O’Connor broke the news that the Warriors are trying to trade for Davis, who’s currently with the Wizards after the Lakers shipped him to Washington in the Luka Dončić swap back in February 2025. At the same time, Golden State wants to sign LeBron as a free agent. The idea is to reunite the two longtime teammates for the first time since Davis left L.A.
But The Athletic’s John Hollinger sees a problem. Specifically, a 7-foot-3 problem. “The likely casualty in any scenario where LeBron James and Anthony Davis join Golden State would be Kristaps Porziņģis,” Hollinger wrote. “It would be virtually impossible for the Warriors to re-sign him for more than the minimum in any scenario in which James and Davis come to Golden State.”
Porziņģis is coming off a solid season with the Warriors, who picked him up in a trade last summer. He fit well in the system, stretching the floor and protecting the rim. But the math changes fast when you’re trying to squeeze two max-level salaries under the cap.
Hollinger also floated a possible workaround: “If the Lakers wanted Porziņģis, he could also be an outbound sign-and-trade salary in a deal that brought James to Golden State. However, it would be difficult for James to make more than the nontaxpayer midlevel exception unless Moses Moody’s salary were also included in that deal.”
The Warriors have been circling LeBron for a while. ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel reported earlier this offseason that Golden State genuinely believes it can land the four-time champion if he leaves the Lakers. And they’re not just sitting on their hands waiting. The team has also been linked to guards Anfernee Simons and Collin Sexton as complementary pieces, just in case the LeBron-AD plan doesn’t materialize.
Of course, there’s a lot of moving parts here. LeBron has to actually opt out and decide to leave L.A. The Wizards have to want whatever the Warriors are offering for Davis. And the Warriors front office has to figure out how to keep a roster that suddenly has three big-name players on it.
If everything clicks, Golden State could look completely different next season. But Porziņģis might be the guy looking for a new zip code.
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