NBA rumors: Warriors interested in signing LeBron James, trading for Anthony Davis to join Stephen Curry

 

The Golden State Warriors have been among the more aggressive teams of the past several transaction cycles in search of star power to pair with the aging Stephen Curry. They were linked to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kawhi Leonard at the trade deadline. They've held rumored interest in LeBron James as a free agent, and they tried to trade for him back in 2024. Now, according to Yahoo's Kevin O'Connor, they have their sights set beyond just James, but on his former teammate Anthony Davis as well.

The basic premise here would be that Golden State would execute some sort of trade centered around Jimmy Butler and perhaps draft capital going to the Washington Wizards for Davis. The Warriors would then attempt to sign James, bringing together the cores of both their own roster and the Los Angeles Lakers for most of the 2020s. Golden State would have one of the oldest starting lineups in the NBA, but one stuffed to the brim with Hall of Fame talent.

There are immediately several potential hurdles to a James-Davis reunion featuring Curry, so let's run through them quickly:

While Davis has not exactly seemed eager to play for the Wizards next season, it is not clear if Washington is even willing to trade him. Wizards general manager Will Dawkins even hinted at a contract extension when he appeared on the broadcast of the second round of the NBA Draft. "We'll have that conversation in the middle of August when we can officially have that," he said.

Even if Washington is open to moving Davis, it is not clear if the Wizards would be interested in taking Butler back in a trade. He is recovering from a torn ACL, and while he is expected to return during the season, he probably won't be ready early on, and there's no telling how the 36-year-old will look when he makes it back. The Wizards just drafted AJ Dybantsa No. 1 overall and have a number of other young forwards who need minutes, so Butler would be entering a logjam in Washington.

Golden State may not be the only party interested in Davis if he is moved. Marc Stein and Jake Fischer have reported that the Portland Trail Blazers could view Davis as a possible Plan B should they fail in their pursuit of Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brow

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