Steph Curry and LeBron James are fresh from winning Olympic gold for the United States men’s basketball team in Paris.
The longtime competitors have developed a close bond over the years, and now that both players are in the final stages of their legendary careers, some are wondering what it would be like if the dynamic duo joined forces in the NBA.
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report put together a four-team trade proposal that would do just that — but buckle up, because it’s a doozy. In the scenario Pincus creates, it would have to begin with Curry — who has spent his entire career with the Golden State Warriors — wanting to end his playing days in Los Angeles.
“What if Curry reached out to ownership with a trade request to the Lakers to finish his career with James, and the Warriors were willing, perhaps out of respect for Curry, to start their restructuring early and honor his request?” Pincus wondered, before laying out the trade proposal that could make it all happen.
4-Team Trade Proposal Sends Steph Curry to L.A. Lakers to Team Up With LeBron James
In order to bring Curry to L.A., the Lakers would have to unload a ton of contracts. This trade proposal certainly does that. In addition to the Lakers and Warriors, Pincus has the Brooklyn Nets and the Detroit Pistons getting involved in this hypothetical trade scenario.
Here’s a complete look at the players and draft picks involved:
- Lakers would get: Steph Curry (from Warriors), Day’Ron Sharpe (from Nets), Wendell Moore Jr. (from Pistons) and a $3.9 million trade exception (Jalen Hood-Schifino).
- Warriors would get: Austin Reaves (via Lakers), Ben Simmons (via Nets), 2029 unprotected first-rounder (via Lakers), 2031 unprotected first-rounder (via Lakers, $2.4 million trade exception (Curry).
- Nets would get: D’Angelo Russell (via Lakers), Rui Hachimura (via Lakers), Gabe Vincent (via Lakers), Hood-Schifino (via Lakers), $23.3 million trade exception (Simmons), $2.0 million trade exception (Dennis Schröder).
- Pistons would get: Schröder (via Nets), Christian Wood (via Lakers), 2025 LA Clippers second-rounder (via Lakers), 2025 Miami Heat second-rounder (38-59, via Nets), $4 million (via Lakers).
Whew, that’s a lot. But Pincus thinks the Nets specifically could be talked into participating in a trade like this, largely because it would help them unload Simmons’ five-year, $177 million contract.
“In helping the Lakers get Curry, the Nets get out of Simmons’ contract, part with Schröder and Sharpe—but get two of L.A.’s starters in Russell and Hachimura,” Pincus wrote, also noting why the Pistons might be interested:
“The Pistons are rebuilding and recently used their cap space to help others shed salary (like Tim Hardaway Jr. from the Dallas Mavericks). Detroit still has about $10.2 million in space, enough to take in Schröder while trading Moore (followed by Wood via the minimum).”
Curry Will Likely Finish His Career With Golden State Warriors
We really get to watch Steph Curry and Lebron James be teammates in the year 2024 pic.twitter.com/DHZNtPgXBt
— Anika 🦋 (@WardeIICurry30) July 11, 2024
We really get to watch Steph Curry and Lebron James be teammates in the year 2024
The popularity and success of the two future Hall of Famers — Curry and James have eight NBA titles between them — would be a marketing boon for the Lakers and the league in general. The idea of the two joining forces on an NBA squad is about as tantalizing as it gets.
Case in point: Bron and Steph developed a favorite play they’ve developed while working together in the Olympics. Curry will set a screen and make opponents decided whether to cover his deadly ways behind the 3-point line, or whether to cover James, who drives to the paint with a ferocity few others possess.
“We do it a little bit in Golden State, where you have somebody else having the ball and me setting it, and I have a lot of different actions you can run,” Curry said, via The Athletic. “But if you get (LeBron) going downhill, good luck to anybody trying to stop him and having me come off into space.”
While it’s fun to wax wistful about Curry in a Lakers uniform, the reality is that Steph has spent all 15 of his seasons with Golden State, and he’s likely going to want to end his career there.
Beth Mishler-Elmore Beth Mishler-Elmore is a Heavy sports contributor based in the Midwest, focusing on the NFL, NBA and WNBA. More about Beth Mishler-Elmore
