The final time Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry teamed up within the NBA, the end result was three NBA Finals appearances and two titles in three years. After which, a number of years after separating, they bought collectively as a part of the USA Basketball Avengers with LeBron James to steer the USA to a gold medal on the 2024 Paris Olympics final summer season.
So even when it appears unimaginable, one may very well be forgiven if pondering an NBA group that includes these three may nonetheless be fairly good for an NBA Expendables-style, one-last-job-type title run, even when all of them are going a bit grey within the beard (in LeBron’s case, actually). But it surely’s additionally the kind of midseason transaction twister that will get thrown out by NBA 2K’s machine logic for being too unrealistic and a set of strikes which can be practically unimaginable to work beneath the league’s new, extra restrictive collective bargaining settlement.
However as this weekend in basketball confirmed us, “practically unimaginable” isn’t the identical as truly unimaginable. Within the aftermath of that Lakers heist, it’s onerous guilty the Golden State Warriors for dreaming large. In spite of everything, if Luka Doncic can get traded to the Lakers seemingly out of nowhere, nothing is off the desk.
And properly, dreaming large is strictly what the Warriors are doing as a result of, in response to the newest dispatch from NBA insider Jake Fischer for The Stein Line, Golden State is letting themselves fantasize a couple of world the place Durant, James and Curry group up in The Bay beneath Olympics coach Steve Kerr earlier than Thursday’s NBA commerce deadline:
Sources say essentially the most bold thought being tossed round amongst Golden State’s decision-makers: Is there any possible pathway for the Warriors to drag off the dreamiest of outcomes and discover a solution to carry each James and Durant to The Bay?
That might require fairly the masterstroke. And whereas pulling that off presently stands as impossible, each from a salary-matching and asset valuation standpoint, that is the type of big-game looking that has outlined these Warriors. From their authentic Durant free company thunderbolt in 2016 … to final commerce deadline’s inquiries about James … to this previous offseason’s aggressive pursuits of each Paul George and Lauri Markkanen and, at occasions, making an attempt to accumulate each of them.
That’s clearly large, type of insane, and results in one large query.
May the Warriors truly commerce for each LeBron James and Kevin Durant?
It will be tough, however the reply is — type of shockingly given the hellish restrictions of the brand new CBA and all three group’s cap conditions — truly sure.
I spent manner an excessive amount of time earlier than even writing this text looking for a legally workable deal within the commerce machine and was truly in a position to take action, so long as all three groups waited to consummate it till the day of the deadline, as Dennis Schröder is just not eligible to be re-aggregated in a commerce till then. There are different caveats, however legally, these groups may theoretically make the commerce beneath, even when it’s in all probability too deranged and complex to ever get agreed to in actual life.
Could I current to you, pricey readers, essentially the most unhinged commerce machine screenshot I’ve ever included in an article:
Picture through https://fanspo.com/nba/trade-machine
Now, it’s necessary to notice a pair issues right here…
- The Warriors would additionally should signal a number of gamers off the road to fill out the legally required 14 gamers for his or her roster, and each the Lakers and Suns must reduce a number of gamers. Nevertheless, in response to my (communications-degree-level) cap math, all of them ought to have sufficient room to take action, however I’m certain SB Nation’s big selection of part-time CBA consultants within the feedback will let me know if I missed one thing.
- LeBron James would additionally should be upset sufficient concerning the AD commerce to waive his no-trade clause to affix Golden State, one thing he has indicated to this point that he’s not going to do, which if true, will nonetheless solely go down as solely his second-most ruthless rejection of Warriors followers’ title goals ever.
- There would additionally clearly be draft picks being despatched out right here by the Warriors, however I didn’t even need to get into the logic of that and simply needed to see if the sort of transfer was legally doable beneath the CBA.
… HOWEVER, in a world the place all three groups can conform to a deal this difficult, get the decide exchanges to a suitable degree for all events and LeBron agrees to take the James & Son present to San Francisco for one final journey together with his former Finals foes, then, hypothetically, possibly, the Warriors rumored dream may grow to be our ridiculous actuality.
It’s in all probability not going to occur, however hey, as this weekend confirmed when the Lakers bought Luka Doncic for fewer first-round picks than the Spurs used to commerce for De’Aaron Fox, it by no means hurts for an NBA glamour franchise to dream large. And if the Warriors pull off one thing this loopy to go from a play-in group to potential title contender, possibly they actually can say they’re gentle years forward of the remainder of the league. We’ll discover out if they’ll by Thursday, Feb. 6 at 3 p.m. ET when the buzzer sounds on the NBA’s transaction window.
