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Golden State Warriors Aiming For LeBron James, Steph Curry Team-up

According to multiple reports, the Golden State Warriors want to partner free agent LeBron James with incumbent superstar Steph Curry. There's only one condition they need to meet, though.

Sports • June 30, 2026
Written by ZACH ROBERTS
Photography GARY A. VASQUEZ-IMAGN IMAGES


The Golden State Warriors are trying to do something that no one could’ve predicted. The NBA offseason is in full swing, and while free agency hasn’t officially begun, plenty of deals are happening. Teams are not wasting any time.

The Charlotte Hornets traded LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges. The Memphis Grizzlies traded Ja Morant. Zach LaVine opted into his nearly $50 million player option. A Kawhi Leonard trade looms. The Warriors re-signed Kristaps Porzingis. Jalen Duren is pitching his talents to other teams as a restricted free agent.

The biggest news, though, may be nothing that has happened yet or is even remotely imminent. According to multiple reports, the Golden State Warriors want to partner free agent LeBron James with incumbent superstar Steph Curry. There’s only one condition they need to meet, though.

LeBron James and Steph Curry? Warriors aiming for incredible team-up

LeBron James and Steph Curry have been rivals for a long time. They met in the NBA Finals year after year in the mid-to-late 2010s, developing an intense rivalry between the Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers. When James went to the Los Angeles Lakers, they became in-conference rivals.

Soon, they could be teammates. They teamed up for the 2024 Olympics, where the trio of those two plus Kevin Durant helped carry the Americans to gold. It’s been no secret that those two would love to play together again, and reportedly, it’s possible.

Draymond Green declined his player option to become a free agent. Ordinarily, that is done to get a better, more lucrative contract or sign elsewhere. Neither seems likely with Green, the future Hall of Famer. It seems like he’s interested in bringing some savings to the Warriors so they can afford to sign James and do other things.

The Kristaps Porzingis signing for $20 million a year does complicate things, but the Warriors can get creative to clear room for James to sign on and create perhaps the best two-man pairing in NBA history. Only Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant have a real argument as the best pair of teammates all-time over the would-be pairing of James and Curry.

The one condition that must be met

There is one condition that must be met for the Warriors to land LeBron James, though. They have to also reunite James with his former Lakers teammate, Anthony Davis. Recall that Davis was traded as the centerpiece in the shocking, franchise-derailing Luka Doncic trade. He has since been traded to the Washington Wizards.

This complicates things even further. Adding James is one thing, given the Warriors’ challenging salary cap issues right now. But bringing in Davis would be even more challenging. James is not under contract, but the Warriors have Curry signed for over $60 million, and Davis’ contract is for just under $60 million.

The financial restrictions are very real, but fortunately, the Warriors do finally have some assets to part with. Their best bet would be to somehow move the injured Jimmy Butler off the books (almost $56 million), but to do that and acquire Davis would probably require a lot of the available picks they have.

They could probably send Butler to the Wizards along with the 2027 first-round pick, 2029 first-round pick, 2031 first-round pick, and some second-rounders. In reality, Davis is no longer worth that sort of haul, but when the Warriors are sending back an injured player costing $56 million, they would have to pony up.

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Zach Roberts
By Zach Roberts
Zachary Roberts has written in the sports industry for over four years. He's covered the Carolina Panthers, Charlotte Hornets, Seattle Seahawks, and wider coverage of the NFL, pro golf, NHL, MLB, and NBA. He has worked with ComicBook, Sportskeeda, The Sporting News, and the On SI Network. In his free time, Zachary loves playing video games, watching movies, or reading books.

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