The Warriors’ interest dates back to the 2024 trade deadline, but those discussions quickly fizzled after LeBron’s longtime agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, shut down the idea, NBA insider Marc Stein reported.

“It is believed the Lakers would have reluctantly entertained trade conversations … if James wanted them to seriously engage Golden State,” Stein wrote in August 2024. “Yet league sources say the reported talks never got that far—in large part because his agent Rich Paul was adamantly opposed.”

Paul sought to protect the superstar’s image from backlash tied to another move.

“Sources say Paul implored both teams to scrap the concept … largely because he wanted to insulate James from potential backlash over switching teams for the fourth time in his career,” Stein added.

The speculation did not end there.

Rich Paul’s Controversial Statement

After James picked up his $52.6 million player option earlier this summer, Paul’s public comments rekindled questions about his long-term commitment to Los Angeles.

“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Paul told ESPN in June. “He knows the Lakers are building 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.”

Although Paul later clarified that James had not requested a trade, his statement left an air of ambiguity, particularly as the Lakers pivoted toward Luka Dončić as their centerpiece. Dončić signed a three-year, $165 million extension to anchor the franchise’s future, while James, now 39, enters the final year of his contract without extension talks.

Steph Curry-LeBron Olympic Pairing

Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesLeBron James and Stephen Curry celebrate after winning the gold in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The Warriors have stayed persistent, driven by both basketball logic and sentiment. James’ Olympic partnership with Curry at the 2024 Paris Games was a breakthrough moment. Under Team USA coach Steve Kerr — who also guides the Warriors — the longtime rivals displayed instant chemistry, with James repeatedly setting up Curry for open 3-pointers in a gold-medal run.

“All the battles we’ve had … the fact that we actually got to be teammates … in high-stakes basketball with a lot on the line … I think there’s a deepened respect and friendship there,” Curry told People magazine in September 2024.

Curry also fanned speculation when he shared a photo of himself and James celebrating their medals, a post that quickly went viral. While he stopped short of openly campaigning for a union, Curry left the door open.

“Hopefully, there will be more experiences in the future, even if we’re teammates or not,” Curry said. “I think we motivated each other even more to however much longer we have left playing.”

For now, James remains a Laker, and both sides continue to project business as usual.

But with the Lakers clearly orienting toward a post-LeBron era and the Warriors intent on squeezing every ounce out of Curry’s championship window, the possibility of one last blockbuster pairing remains on the NBA’s radar.