During the 2023-24 NBA campaign, rumors of LeBron James leaving Los Angeles remained present during the first half of the campaign. Ahead of the trade deadline, James' name remained among the many rumors that he would leave via trade to another team in the Western Conference.
The Golden State Warriors were the team that was interested in reaching a deal to unite “King James” with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green in the “Gulf”. However, that did not happen and Los Angeles kept James in its ranks, but it was possible to confirm the interest that existed between the two teams to trade the historic player.
What prevented the change between the Lakers and Warriors?
According to journalist Marc Stein, James' agent Rich Paul is the one who is supposed to have asked Los Angeles and Golden State management to drop the idea of changing “King James” to the Warriors in the 2023-24 season. NBAPaul's reason for avoiding it was the negative reaction it would have on James' legacy of changing teams for the fourth time in his career.
The Lakers are the third team James has played for in his career, after the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Miami Heat, and everything seems to indicate that he will retire from playing with the Los Angeles team in a few years. But after Paris 2024, rumors began to spread about the possibility of “King James” and “Steve” getting married, either in Golden State or Los Angeles.