The 2023-24 season has not been kind to both the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers. Heading into play on Saturday, February 3rd, they currently sit in 12th and ninth place in the Western Conference, respectively, which is a far cry from the title contender hopes they had entering the season. As a result, fans have been wondering what both of these teams will end up doing at the upcoming trade deadline.
While there have been rumors about the Warriors potentially breaking up their veteran core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green in some capacity, the likelihood of that happening seems slim. On the other hand, the likelihood of LeBron James getting moved after a handful of strange rumors began to pop up is virtually nonexistent after they were quickly shut down by his agent Rich Paul.
Despite Paul's insistence, you can never say never in the NBA, and there's a chance, however slim it may be, that James could be on the move ahead of the trade deadline. Even more enticing is the fact that a hypothetical trade pitched by Ken Makin of Andscape would see the Warriors end up receiving James while breaking up their long standing trio. So let's take a look at this hypothetical deal and hand out grades for both sides.
Warriors get: LeBron James, D'Angelo Russell
Lakers get: Klay Thompson, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Usman Garuba
The most notable piece of this deal would obviously see James team up with Curry. James and Curry have been the two faces of the NBA over the past decade, and their clashes in the NBA Finals are the stuff of legends. Who wouldn't want to see these two guys team up (aside from Lakers fans, of course)?
The Warriors find themselves in a strange spot, as they have enough pieces to go out and swing a blockbuster deal to keep their title contention window open, but there's always going to be a voice telling the team that they shouldn't break up the trio of Curry, Thompson, and Green. These guys have won so much that they are bound to figure things out soon, right?
That simply may not be the case anymore, though. While Curry is still playing at a high level, Thompson is struggling to make an impact on the floor, and Green is dealing with all sorts of drama off of it. It's a tough pill to swallow, but it may be time for the front office to move on from Thompson or Green if they want to keep winning while Curry is still playing at his Hall of Fame level.
To pick up James, who is in a somewhat similar spot as Curry in LA, would be a massive win. Golden State would give up a ton of young talent in this deal, but it also extends their title window for the time being. The ability to add another superstar in James, in addition to another guard who can operate the offense and allow Curry to play off the ball when he wants to in Russell, would be huge.
From a pure basketball perspective, this deal would obviously be a massive win for the Warriors. It would obviously be tough to move on from Thomspon, but a duo of Curry and James would give Golden State their best shot of extending their dynasty. There's no doubt who the winner would be in this deal, and if the Lakers were willing to accept this offer, the Warriors would be foolish to not pull the trigger.
Warriors grade: A
On the other hand, the Lakers would have much less of an incentive to make this trade. Not only would they be giving up James, who despite turning 39 back in December, is still one of the best players in the league, but the return doesn't totally move the needle for Los Angeles, who would quickly shift from being a potential contender to rebuilding.
The obvious eye-catching guy here is Thompson, but again, he hasn't been all that effective for Golden State this season (17.5 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 2.3 APG, 42.1 FG%). Considering the fact he's set to turn 34 on February 8th, Thompson wouldn't fit LA's timeline, and they would likely try to flip him again to a playoff contending team instead of holding onto him.
Jonathan Kuminga would be the highlight of this return, especially given how well he has been playing as of late for the Warriors (25.6 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 2 APG, 63.3 FG% over his past eight games.) Beyond him, though, it's not exactly a great haul. Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski, and Trayce Jackson-Davis all have potential, but are they good enough to give up James and Russell for?
The other thing worth considering is that, in the standings, the Lakers are in a better spot than the Warriors, so they have less incentive to blow up their squad right now. Of course, if they are trying to trade James, that goes out the window very quickly, but this is still largely the same team that went to the Western Conference Finals last season, so why would the front office decide now is the time to get rid of James?
The timing doesn't make sense for the Lakers, and neither does the trade package. Golden State could flip these players for another top-tier player ahead of the deadline, but realistically speaking, they are better off waiting until the end of the season to do so, or selling off spare parts and trying to rebuild around Curry. James almost certainly isn't going anywhere, and this trade package surely wouldn't be enough to convince Los Angeles' front office to trade him to one of their Western Conference rivals.
Lakers grade: C-
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