Windhorst: 'I Would be A Fool to Rule' Out LeBron James Trade to Warriors from Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors "could revisit" a trade centered around star LeBron James in the offseason, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst.

During an appearance Monday on Get Up, Windhorst posited a swap could be possible if the Lakers and Warriors fail to improve much from their present positions. Los Angeles and Golden State are ninth and 10th respectively in the Western Conference.

Windhorst, however, remains skeptical James would push for an exit.

"But again, LeBron loves living in Los Angeles. His family is in Los Angeles. His future after the game is in Los Angeles," he said. "I would be a fool to rule anything out with LeBron, but I really don't think it's something that is seriously being considered and if anything, it's a negotiating stance for him as he tries to get maybe one last multiyear contract."

Windhorst drew a parallel between the Warriors buzz some of James' messaging during All-Star Weekend in 2022. With the All-Star Game in Cleveland, he entertained a possible reunion with the Cleveland Cavaliers and praised the work of Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti.

It looked as though the four-time MVP was sending a pointed message to the Lakers and GM Rob Pelinka, but that didn't stop him from ultimately agreeing to a two-year extension ahead of the 2022-23 season.

When ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne reported the Warriors had reached out to the Lakers to gauge the probability of a trade for James, fans were understandably stunned. Even at this stage in their careers, pairing LeBron with Stephen Curry would be a blockbuster.

But James' agent, Rich Paul, reportedly told Golden State the 20-time All-Star "had no interest in a trade and wanted to remain a Laker."

At the end of the day, James has had multiple opportunities to leave Los Angeles, and it's not as though this is the first time people have questioned whether the team has a genuine path to a championship.

Absent the Lakers totally cratering in the second half, his future is probably still in Southern California.