NBCSBA: Why Warriors' LeBron trade inquiry is natural move for Lacob

[Robin Miller]

https://www.nbcsportsbayarea.com/nba/golden-state-warriors/lebron-james-trade-pursuit-reasoning/1703186/


Why Warriors' LeBron trade inquiry is natural move for Lacob

By Monte Poole

• Published 3 hours ago


The NBA's hottest topic on Valentine’s Day 2024 began with, of all
avenues, a Jan. 30 post on social media.

When LeBron James turned to X, formerly known as Twitter, to post a
simple hourglass emoji, the entire NBA got the message. He is a
39-year-old superstar on a middling Lakers and time is running out.

It should not be a surprise that the Warriors, specifically overtly
ambitious CEO Joe Lacob, would be intrigued. The team was performing
below its lofty standard and, with the trade deadline looming, the front
office was determined to pursue moves that might save the season.

So determined that Lacob, per deeply sourced ESPN reporter Adrian
Wojnarowski, personally reached out to Lakers CEO Jeannie Buss to
inquire about James’ availability.

Why? Because LeBron seemed to get getting restless. Because even at
LeBron’s advanced athletic age, his skills remain intact and elite.
Because pairing him with Golden State superstar Stephen Curry not only
could set the franchise on a course toward the NBA Finals but also
remind the rest of league that the Warriors always, always, always aim
for the thermosphere.

The Warriors, like the rest of the NBA universe, know James has
mentioned Curry as someone with whom he’d like to play. Through their
classic rivalry rooted in four consecutive NBA Finals wars – and it was
testy at times – the future Hall of Famers share an abundance of mutual
respect.

Lacob is aware of this. So is Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy.
Same with coach Steve Kerr. Same with Draymond Green, who has a tight
and very public friendship with LeBron.

Green, per the ESPN report, reached out to his agent, Rich Paul, who
also represents James, to get his thoughts. It’s reasonable to believe
Draymond and LeBron, at some point, pondered the possibility. The
Warriors-Lakers talks never got serious because LeBron stated his desire
to remain with Los Angeles.

So, there never was a proposed deal between the teams. The Warriors
never made an offer and the Lakers never asked for one.

That Lacob was willing to make the call, however, indicates his
frustration had reached a point that he was willing to seek ways to add
James and what remains of his $47.6 million annual salary to the Golden
State roster.

For salary-matching purposes, any proposed deal likely would have
included Klay Thompson ($43.2 million, expiring) – or either Chris Paul
($30.8 million, last year of guarantee) or Andrew Wiggins ($24.3
million, first season of a four-year contract), along with two or three
more Warriors.

Could this revelation result in some discomfort in Golden State’s locker
room? Possible but not likely. We’re a week past the NBA trade deadline
and this should not be news to anyone who might have been involved.

This news of a discussion that went nowhere is, above all, a fresh
gesture of Golden State’s approaching to obtaining and maintaining
excellence.

When Lacob realized Jerry West was available 13 years ago, he reached
out and lured him in. When Lacob knew Rick Welts was an executive
dealmaker of the highest order, he reached out in 2011 and lured him in.

When Lacob knew Kevin Durant would be a free agent in the summer of
2016, he arranged an all-hands-on-deck recruiting squad that prevailed.

When July comes, the Warriors will be active in the trade market.
Hyperactive if they fail to make an extended postseason run. Only Curry
and Green, and maybe Jonathan Kuminga, will be off limits in discussions
to make deals to reclaim legitimate contender status.

This is not an operation willing to sit on its storied past. It is,
rather, a place where any signs of complacency are removed like a
malignant tumor.

The Warriors think big, and Lacob is the biggest voice in the room.
They’ll always aim high, sometimes implausibly high, because he realizes
that is sets a tone for the franchise and establishes its standard.