Steph Curry on LeBron James, Warriors Trade Rumors: 'Never Thought' He'd Leave Lakers

While a pairing of Steph Curry and LeBron James could have been a magical combination, Curry knew it was not a likely scenario.

During the 2023-24 season, Golden State Warriors governor Joe Lacob reportedly reached out to the Los Angeles Lakers to inquire about a potential trade for James. The Lakers and James' agent Rich Paul told the Warriors that James wanted to remain with Los Angeles and the talks reportedly ended there.

One year later, Curry said that he never believed James would "leave the Lakers" and that he had no intention of leaving the Warriors, so playing together in the NBA remained unlikely.

"That's as far as it got from a year ago," Curry told ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk. "Because it sounded outlandish when I first heard about it. I never thought he'd leave the Lakers. And I obviously said I never really wanted to leave here."

The two suited up for the U.S. at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris and were arguably the two most important players on the gold medal-winning squad. In NBA play, however, Curry and James have served as rivals on the court for years.

Curry and the Warriors hold a 17-12 edge in postseason play against LeBron's various teams, but James' Lakers own a 10-8 advantage in the playoffs over Curry and the Warriors since James made his move to Los Angeles in 2018.