Veteran forward LeBron James has a better shot at winning his fifth NBA championship playing alongside Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry than his Los Angeles Lakers teammate, Luka Doncic, per an NBA legend.
During his appearance on the “Night Cap” podcast, Joe Johnson — a former seven-time NBA All-Star — was asked about rumors of the Warriors trying to trade for James. In response, Johnson explained why Curry, not Doncic, would be a better basketball fit with James, a natural floor general.
“If I had to choose, I’m going Steph,” Johnson responded. “Not only because he’s proven, but he’s gonna command so much attention that LeBron will really get to play a natural position, which is like more of a facilitator.
“Yeah, he gonna probably still score about 22 to 25 points a night, but him facilitating? Oh my god! With his ability to pass the ball, with Steph’s ability to move without the ball?”
Warriors in Hot Pursuit of LeBron
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Warriors have called the Lakers “multiple times” in the past 18 months in their quest to pair up James and Curry.
“As long as LeBron James’ future in Los Angeles remains uncertain, Golden State will undoubtedly be mentioned as a potential James suitor,” he reported August 22.
“I’m told that the Warriors have called the Lakers on multiple occasions over the past 18 months to see whether there is any trade pathway to pairing James with Stephen Curry, who roughly a year ago at this time was teaming with LeBron for the United States senior men’s national team on its run to a gold medal at the Paris Olympics.”
James and Curry developed a close bond during the 2024 Paris Olympics, while showcasing great on-court chemistry that helped Team USA capture a gold medal. In a September 2024 interview, Curry teased the possibility of teaming up with James again, triggering rumors of the two megastars linking up in a Warriors uniform.
Deflection actic by Warriors?
The Athletic’s Jovan Buha believes the Warriors — who’ve had a dormant offseason — have tactically put out reports about James to drum up interest from the Lakers.
“I would assume this came out from the Warriors side,” Buha reported on his podcast.
“…They’ve had a rough summer. They have not been able to make any moves because of this Kuminga situation. It’s been drama-filled, but also stagnant at the same time…But it also benefits the Warriors to make their front office, their organization, look like they’re trying to do something.”
Clutch Points’ Brett Siegel reported that the Lakers have no interest in dealing James to the Warriors, even as “The King” enters the final year of his contract.
“Some clarity on the notion of the Warriors pursuing LeBron James: This has been the case since their hard push before the ’24 deadline,” Siegel reported on August 22. “They then checked in at the start of this offseason, and then again after the player option. Nothing has changed, and the Lakers aren’t interested.”
