Lakers' LeBron James Reportedly Pursued by Warriors 'Multiple' Times in Trade Talks

The Golden State Warriors have reportedly made numerous attempts to pair up two of the greatest players in NBA history dating back to last year.

According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Warriors have contacted the Los Angeles Lakers "on multiple occasions over the past 18 months" to express interest in a trade for LeBron James that would allow them to put him alongside Stephen Curry.

It was initially reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne in February 2024 that the Warriors called the Lakers about trading for James, only for LeBron's agent, Rich Paul, to inform Golden State that James wasn't interested in getting dealt.

Although James and Curry have long been on-court rivals, dating back to James' Cleveland Cavaliers and Curry's Warriors facing each other in four straight NBA Finals from 2015 to 2018, they recently had a chance to team up for the first time.

At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, LeBron and Steph both represented Team USA, and it can be argued that they were the two best players on a team that won the gold medal by beating host France in the finals.

Per Fischer, James and Curry "were said to greatly enjoy their experience as teammates on the international stage."

Back in June, Paul provided a statement to ESPN's Shams Charania regarding James' exercising his $52.6 million option to remain with the Lakers in 2025-26, saying:

"LeBron wants to compete for a championship. He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we've had for eight years with [governor] Jeanie [Buss] and [general manager] Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career.

"We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what's best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what's best for him."

Paul's statement led to speculation that James could potentially ask for a trade if he was not satisfied with the Lakers' offseason moves, but Howard Beck of The Ringer said on the Zach Lowe Show that most NBA sources he spoke to believed it was just a case of James "venting" and "putting pressure" on Pelinka to make win-now moves rather than building for the future with Luka Dončić as the centerpiece.

All has been quiet on the James trade front since then, and the Lakers made some notable additions in the form of center Deandre Ayton, forward Jake LaRavia and guard Marcus Smart.

The Warriors have been far less active after reaching the second round of the playoffs last season, opting to simply maintain the core of Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green.

L.A. was the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference last season, but it fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs, and it is fair to wonder if enough was done to contend with Western Conference powers such as the reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

Despite James being 40 and Curry being 37, that combo would likely strike fear into other contenders, as they have six NBA MVP Awards and eight championships between them.

However, despite the Warriors' best efforts, there is no indication that James or the Lakers are interested in making that tandem happen.