STUNNING: LEBRON JAMES TO WARRIORS? THE TRADE THAT WOULD BREAK THE NBA TONIGHT
Could LeBron James join Steph Curry? Explore the Bill Simmons trade theory involving Jimmy Butler and the Los Angeles Lakers.
After last year’s wild trade that brought Luka Doncic to the Lakers, a lot of NBA insiders started thinking—maybe anything really can happen in this league. So, what if “anything” means the Lakers actually trading LeBron James? He has a no-trade clause, so he’d need to approve it, but there are only a handful of places he’d even consider.
One of those places? The Warriors.
The idea actually came from Bill Simmons at The Ringer. He threw out a scenario where the Lakers send LeBron north to Golden State, and Jimmy Butler goes to L.A. It sounds a little crazy, but it does sort out a couple of headaches for both teams. The Lakers get a tough, defensive-minded forward in Butler—a better fit next to Doncic at this stage than LeBron, honestly. The Warriors, on the other hand, pick up a forward who can actually keep up with Steph Curry’s style, instead of slowing things down the way Butler tends to. That’s where LeBron fits.
So, just swap them, right? Seems simple enough.
Not so fast, says Rich. Paul is LeBron’s agent. On his podcast with Max Kellerman, “Game Over,” Paul didn’t even pretend to entertain the idea. “Why don’t we just play duck-duck-goose?” he joked. He shut it down quickly: “It’s not going to happen, so why are we talking about things that aren’t going to happen?”
Technically, the trade works on paper. And you know both LeBron and Curry would love a shot to play together before they call it a career. Neither guy’s team looks like a lock for a deep playoff run this year, either.
Curry’s 37, dropping almost 29 points a night, but the Warriors are only 18-16. LeBron just turned 41 and is still putting up over 20 a game, but the Lakers are 20-11 and just lost four of their last five.
Would putting LeBron and Curry together actually work? Who knows? But it’d be fun to watch, and honestly, that’s more than either team can say about this season so far.
Still, Paul made it clear there are reasons—he didn’t really get into them, since Kellerman kept jumping in—why a Lakers-Warriors deal isn’t happening. He did admit that Butler would look good in L.A., and LeBron would fit just fine in Golden State, but then again, those guys would fit pretty much anywhere.
“You and Bill can play fantasy basketball all you want,” Paul told Kellerman. “You can do that with anyone in the league. Any team with LeBron makes basketball sense. Jimmy Butler? He plays the game right—he fits anywhere. But right now? I like him on the Warriors.”
So don’t count on anything changing.
KENDRICK BOURNE REVEALS THE STRICT DISCIPLINE THAT SPARKED THE PATRIOTS' TURNAROUND
Kendrick Bourne speaks out! Discover why he thinks Mike Vrabel is the right fit and why he’s eyeing a 2026 return to the 49ers.
Kendrick Bourne’s path through the NFL has zigzagged all over – some highs, plenty of lows, and now, another fresh start. He took a shot with the Patriots in 2025 after building his reputation with the 49ers. But honestly, that New England chapter ended before it even got going. Bourne didn’t just slip out the back door. He left with a lot to say about what he saw brewing in New England as Mike Vrabel took charge.
Once Vrabel arrived, you didn’t need to listen for rumours about a culture shift; it was obvious. Bourne noticed right away. He’s already got his eyes set on home, back with the 49ers, but even from a distance, he could see the Patriots were heading somewhere new long before their record showed it.
Talking about his exit from New England, Bourne didn’t sugarcoat anything. Losing the job itself wasn’t the hardest part. What stung was watching Vrabel put his stamp on the team, laying down the kind of structure and discipline Bourne knew would eventually pay off. He was blunt; things just felt different under Vrabel compared to before.
He put it like this: “After going through OTAs and camp with Vrabes, you just knew. Nothing against Mayo, but he just wasn’t ready. With Vrabes, the structure was totally different in how we studied, how we met, and just the whole vibe. Honestly, I was sad about it.”
This wasn’t just a guy being bitter. Bourne respected what was happening in New England and genuinely wished he could have been part of it, especially with a Super Bowl push on the horizon. He even admitted he’d wanted to be in that locker room when the Patriots finally made it back to the big stage.
Now he’s back with the 49ers, hoping to stick around. At 30, Bourne wants a new contract in San Francisco. He had a solid 2025, racked up 551 yards, picked up a contract bonus, and gave the offence a spark. The 49ers needed reliable hands, and Bourne delivered. He’s clear: he wants to stay, but only if the deal makes sense for him.
So now, the offseason gets interesting. Bourne knows where he fits best, but he’s still keeping an eye on what’s building in New England. That mix of looking back and chasing what’s next makes this part of his career one to pay attention to.
MRI SCARE: STEVE KERR ADMITS STEPH CURRY’S "NEBULOUS" KNEE MAY REQUIRE SECOND IMAGING
Warriors crisis! Discover why Steph Curry may need another MRI and how Jimmy Butler’s ACL tear shifts GSW to the play-in.
The Warriors have been scrambling since Jimmy Butler went down with that ACL tear. He’s done for the year, and now Stephen Curry has to carry the offence on his own.
Right after the All-Star break, the Warriors are sitting in eighth place out West. That’s already shaky, and now Curry’s dealing with a knee injury too. The team calls it runner's knee; basically, he just needs time to heal. But then Steve Kerr gave an update that didn’t exactly inspire confidence.
Turns out, Curry might need another MRI. He tried to push through a full workout, but his knee just wasn’t right. Now, they’re waiting on imaging to figure out how long he’ll actually be out.
Meanwhile, Kristaps Porzingis still hasn’t suited up for Golden State. If Curry misses significant time, everyone else needs to step up in a big way. The Warriors already have one of the most average offences in the league, 15th at the break. No curry, and things get ugly fast. He’s already missed 16 games this season, and the team went 6-10 without him.
Losing Butler already knocked the Warriors out of serious contention. They’re pretty much locked into the play-in. Unless Curry suddenly goes supernova, it’s hard to see them catching the Thunder or making any real noise out West.
So, what’s next? The front office tried to swing big at the deadline, going after Giannis Antetokounmpo, though who knows if the Bucks ever really considered it. Giannis stayed put, but you can bet the Warriors will chase him again this summer.
If that doesn’t work, they’ll turn to other stars. They know the championship window is closing with Curry still on the roster. He’s still elite, but time’s ticking.
LeBron James even comes up as a possibility. If he declines his player option and hits free agency, maybe he’d team up with Curry for one last run at a ring.
Most likely, though, Golden State will look at trades instead of free agents to try to reload. Curry’s health isn’t what it used to be, and the Warriors know they have to make the most of whatever prime he’s got left.