The Golden State Warriors are apparently still obsessed with the idea of LeBron James in a Warriors uniform. And this time, they might have a new angle to make it happen.
According to Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin O’Connor, the Warriors front office is exploring a trade for Anthony Davis—currently with the Washington Wizards—as a way to sweeten the pitch for James when free agency opens Tuesday. The logic is pretty straightforward: If you can’t bring LeBron in alone, maybe you bring his old running mate too.
Davis and James won a championship together with the Lakers in 2020. Pairing them with Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Steve Kerr? That’s a superteam pitch that’s hard to ignore. O’Connor wrote that the Warriors’ message to James would essentially be: reunite with AD, play with two all-time greats, and chase one more ring with a roster full of future Hall of Famers.
A complicated trade path
Getting Davis won’t be cheap. O’Connor notes that a trade would almost certainly have to include Jimmy Butler, who’s on an expiring $57 million deal but is recovering from a torn ACL. The Warriors would also need to throw in draft capital—they have two future first-round picks and four pick swaps they can use.
Davis hasn’t played a single game for Washington since being traded from Dallas in February. He’s been sidelined with a hand injury. In 20 games with the Mavericks this season, he averaged 20.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 1.6 blocks. Not vintage AD numbers, but still a presence on both ends.
The Rich Paul factor
It’s worth noting that Davis, James, Green, and Warriors guard Moses Moody are all represented by agent Rich Paul. That doesn’t guarantee anything, but it does mean there’s already a line of communication open between the key parties. Paul was the one who shut down a Warriors trade for James before the February deadline, making clear that LeBron didn’t want to leave LA at that point.
But the calculus changes in free agency. James turns 41 later this year. The Lakers are in a weird spot—not bad enough to rebuild, not good enough to contend. If Golden State can offer a clearer path to a title, with Davis as a bonus, maybe LeBron listens this time.
The Warriors haven’t confirmed anything, obviously. And Washington might not be eager to move Davis after just acquiring him. But the rumor alone says everything about how badly Golden State wants to make one more run before Curry’s window closes.
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