The Warriors tried to pair the two greatest players of this generation but got shut down.
Golden State unsuccessfully attempted to acquire LeBron James from the Lakers to pair him with longtime rival Steph Curry before Thursday’s trade deadline, according to ESPN.
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Neither the Lakers nor James signed off on a potential trade, which had been run by both teams’ ownership.
Warriors owner Joe Lacob connected with Lakers owner Jeanie Buss to see if James’ cryptic messages amid the Lakers struggles prior to the trade deadline indicated he wanted out of Los Angeles, according to the report.
James has a player option for 2024-25, meaning this could be his last season in purple and gold.
Buss said the Lakers had “no desire” to trade the four-time MVP but told Lacob to connect with James’ agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, to learn more about James’ thoughts.
Paul informed Lacob and Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. that James had “no interest” in a trade and wanted to remain with the Lakers, per the report.
Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka reportedly also told the Warriors he did not want to trade James.
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Draymond Green joined the recruiting efforts, according to ESPN, texting Paul to help convince James to join the Warriors as they attempt to make a push — potentially their last — with the ageing core of Curry, Green and struggling sharpshooter Klay Thompson.
The 76ers also inquired about James’ availability, per the report, but President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey “immediately” was told James would not be traded.
Pelinka, perhaps irked by the ask, countered by asking Morey if injured superstar centre Joel Embiid was available, which “ended that brief conversation.”
Morey shot for the moon at the deadline, even calling the Suns to ask about Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, per ESPN.
While it didn’t come to fruition, James and Curry playing together would have marked a historic pairing.
However, ESPN’s NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski claimed that although James’ intention right now is to remain with the Lakers, his contract situation in the summer could spark a trade frenzy should he opt out of the final year of his $51.4m (US) deal.
“All of these teams would love to revisit a conversation on LeBron Jmaes, who could be a free agent if he declines his player option this summer,” Wojnarowski said on Sportscenter.
“But I’m told that LeBron James’ focus is on returning to LA. He wants to be in LA and that’s where his head is going to the off-season.
“But he can be a free agent, there’s certainly different scenarios with opting in and opting out of his contract that would allow him to go somewhere else.
“But I’m told he wants to be a Laker, he wants to continue on potentially on a new deal at that organisation. That’s his focus right now, the rest of this season until the summer.”
Curry’s Warriors bested James’ Cavaliers in three of their four NBA finals match-ups, and the two have combined for eight championships and six MVPs.
The Lakers are one game ahead of the Warriors in the Western Conference standings, sitting in ninth while the Warriors hold the last Play-In Tournament spot.
This story originally appeared on the New York Post and has been reposted with permission