Despite struggling through the first half of the season, the Golden State Warriors stayed relatively quiet at the NBA trade deadline.
Outside of trading Cory Joseph to the Indiana Pacers, the Warriors’ core remained intact through the deadline after trade rumors swirled around players like Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green, Jonathan Kuminga and Klay Thompson.
However, the Warriors reportedly explored a blockbuster move with a longtime rival. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Warriors unsuccessfully tried to convince the Lakers to consider a trade for LeBron James.
Via @wojespn on Twitter:
ESPN Story with @RamonaShelburne: Over a 24-hour window prior to trade deadline that included owner to owner conversations, the Warriors made an unsuccessful bid to convince the Lakers and LeBron James to consider a trade to pair him with Stephen Curry. https://t.co/L14os5gTGp
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 14, 2024
Despite their initial attempt, Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. and owner Joe Lacob were both told the Lakers wanted to keep the four-time NBA champ, according to Wojnarowski.
Both the Lakers and Warriors have struggled throughout the first half of the 2023-24 season with both teams sitting outside the top-eight seeds in the Western Conference standings.
The Warriors and James have a long-standing rivalry dating back to his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers and their multiple battles in the NBA Finals. At age 39-year-old, James is still playing at an ultra high-caliber level, averaging 24.8 points on 52% shooting from the field to go along with 7.8 assists and 7.2 rebounds in 49 games.
This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
