The Golden State Warriors are reportedly behind the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers in the pecking order to sign LeBron James, but all that could change if they make the bold move of trading for Anthony Davis.
According to Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor, James — who is 24 days into his free agency — is “slow-playing” his decision to see which of his suitors can add Davis or Kyrie Irving before he puts pen to paper.
“The popular theory around the league is that LeBron has been slow-playing his decision to see if any of his suitors could find a way to land Irving or Davis,” the NBA insider wrote on Wednesday.
“If a team proved capable of acquiring one of his championship teammates, sources say, it might sway him in that direction,” he added.
Can Warriors Trade for Anthony Davis?
Multiple insiders believe Golden State is unlikely to land Davis for a multitude of reasons. For one, the Wizards are unwilling to trade the Kentucky product, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Furthermore, ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported Wednesday the Warriors would be unwilling to part with multiple first-round picks for Davis — the expected asking price for the 10-time All-Star.
And understandably so. Davis — who has a $62M player option for next season — missed 93 out of a possible 164 games over the last two years for the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and Washington Wizards, furthering his injury-prone label.
“If you’re the Wizards and you have this type of leverage, you could say, ‘Give us every single draft pick,’” Slater said. “And the Warriors have been hesitant to do anything like that.”
“From my reporting and understanding, they’re not anywhere close or have really engaged Washington much on it,” Slater added, confirming that the Warriors and Wizards haven’t discussed a possible trade. “And I don’t expect it to happen.”
Rich Paul Refutes LeBron James Theory
It’s interesting to note that Rich Paul, the agent of LeBron James, made it clear earlier this week that James does not expect his suitors to make big-swing moves to entice him to sign, and that the four-time NBA champion was satisfied with the offers on the table.
“There’s been several people to call and say, ‘Hey, Rich, is there anything more we should be doing? We could be doing?’” Paul revealed on his “Game Over” podcast.
“And my answer is, ‘No. We don’t need you to go above and beyond about anything. We understand it. It’s clear. All the messages have been sent.’”
Theoretically, the Warriors have both the salary (Jimmy Butler’s expiring $56M) and draft assets (up to three tradeable firsts) to make a trade for Davis. However, the Bay Area franchise may be better off biting the bullet and allowing James to sign with the Cavaliers or Heat instead of mortgaging their future for an injury-prone big who hasn’t performed at an All-NBA level in more than three years.
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