Warriors Rumors: LeBron James Trade Pursuit Was Led by Draymond Green at NBA Deadline

Draymond Green was reportedly at the forefront of the Golden State Warriors' failed attempt to trade for LeBron James ahead of last week's deadline.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne reported Green reached out to Klutch Sports agent Rich Paul, who represents the Warriors forward and James, in an attempt to convince the Los Angeles Lakers forward to hear out a pitch on a blockbuster deal.

James informed Paul he had no interest in being traded and wanted to remain with the Lakers. That message was then relayed to Green and Warriors management.

The idea to trade for James was sparked by the Lakers star himself, who made several cryptic comments in the lead up to the deadline. Instead, the Lakers stood pat, hoping their roster can coalesce over the remainder of this season and build on last year's Western Conference Finals run.

The Lakers will also be armed with three tradeable first-round picks next summer they hope can be used to add a third star next to James and Anthony Davis.

Golden State's motivation was clear: add the biggest rivals of this generation of basketball together in hopes of forming a veteran superteam capable of hoisting one more NBA championship. James faced the Warriors four straight seasons from 2015 to 2018 when he was with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs famously came back from a 3-1 deficit in 2016, defeating the 73-win Warriors and ultimately leading to Kevin Durant coming to Golden State to win two more titles.

If it weren't for the Warriors—and, in particular, Durant's arrival—it's fair to argue James would have five or six NBA championships and have a stronger overall resume in the GOAT debate. Instead, he went 1-3 against the Warriors in the Finals and now sits with four rings.

The Philadelphia 76ers also reportedly reached out in hopes of luring James into teaming with Joel Embiid, though that pursuit also went nowhere.