The Golden State Warriors got a glimmer of hope for their grand plans of dealing for Anthony Davis and pairing him with LeBron James following the Los Angeles Lakers‘ trade of center DeAndre Ayton to the Washington Wizards, but one Dubs insider said the development isn’t as helpful as perhaps it seems on the surface.
Anthony Slater of ESPN cautioned NBA fans, particularly those in the Bay Area, to pump the brakes with regards to Davis’s availability on the trade market following the Wizards’ decision to add another big man to their roster via the Ayton deal.
“The Wizards are not signaling that 1+1 equals 2. This doesn’t mean that Davis is now available,” Slater said on SportsCenter. “As far as it goes for the Warriors, this being leverage season, I don’t think this helps the Warriors leverage necessarily. The Wizards could easily still keep Davis, which could potentially box the Warriors out of the LeBron James sweepstakes.”
Anthony Davis Likely to Cost Warriors 3 First-Round Picks in Trade
GettyAnthony Davis, formerly of the Los Angeles Lakers.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks indicated last week that if Golden State wants Davis, the move is probably going to cost the team all three of its tradable first-round picks.
That would mean an all-in shove on adding Davis — who has been injury prone for much of his career, including recently — as well as James entering his age-42 campaign.
The Warriors appeared to plan around at least signing James when the team convinced Draymond Green to opt out of the final year of his contract in 2026-27, which was worth nearly $28 million, presumably to clear enough salary cap space so as to offer James the full non-taxpayer midlevel exception (MLE) worth $15.1 million next season.
That would subsequently allow Golden State to re-sign Green to a multiyear contract worth more than $28 million in total, the amount he gave up, but at a lower annual average salary. Those three players, plus the re-signing of center Kristaps Porzingis and a contract extension for Steph Curry, would have created perhaps the NBA’s oldest version of a quote, unquote super team.
LeBron James May Not Choose Warriors, Even if Team Trades for Anthony Davis
GettyLeBron James, formerly of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Said super group, should it come together in the Bay Area this summer, may last just one year depending on James’ future plans. However, that all looks less likely now given that Rich Paul, James’ agent, recently mentioned 10 teams with a realistic chance at landing his client in free agency.
Golden State is among them, and the Warriors are also part of the group within that handful of franchises that can offer the four-time MVP the most money — as James probably is not getting more than $15.1 million on the full MLE anywhere he goes.
However, Paul said that James is prioritizing basketball happiness and title contention over financial compensation in the coming year.
The first part of that equation keeps Golden State firmly in the conversation. James is friends with Curry and Green, plus he won a title with Davis, which will matter if the Warriors trade for the Wizards big man. Playing in the Bay Area will also keep James on the West Coast and close to his family and base of operations in Southern California.
But without Davis, and perhaps even with him, contention in the Western Conference with the Warriors is a harder sell than it is out East with teams like the reigning champion New York Knicks or the Cleveland Cavaliers, who finished second in the conference last season.
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