The final time Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry teamed up within the NBA, the consequence was three NBA Finals appearances and two titles in three years. After which, a couple of years after separating, they received collectively as a part of the USA Basketball Avengers with LeBron James to steer the US to a gold medal on the 2024 Paris Olympics final summer season.
So even when it appears not possible, one could possibly be forgiven if considering an NBA crew that includes these three might 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). However it’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 might be practically not possible to work underneath the league’s new, extra restrictive collective bargaining settlement.
However as this weekend in basketball confirmed us, “practically not possible” isn’t the identical as really not possible. Within the aftermath of that Lakers heist, it’s laborious 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 effectively, dreaming large is precisely what the Warriors are doing as a result of, in line with the most recent 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 crew up in The Bay underneath Olympics coach Steve Kerr earlier than Thursday’s NBA commerce deadline:
Sources say essentially the most bold concept being tossed round amongst Golden State’s decision-makers: Is there any possible pathway for the Warriors to tug off the dreamiest of outcomes and discover a option to carry each James and Durant to The Bay?
That might require fairly the masterstroke. And whereas pulling that off at present stands as not possible, each from a salary-matching and asset valuation standpoint, that is the type of big-game searching that has outlined these Warriors. From their unique 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 instances, attempting to amass each of them.
That’s clearly large, type of insane, and results in one large query.
May the Warriors really commerce for each LeBron James and Kevin Durant?
It might be troublesome, however the reply is — type of shockingly given the hellish restrictions of the brand new CBA and all three crew’s cap conditions — really sure.
I spent approach an excessive amount of time earlier than even writing this text looking for a legally workable deal within the commerce machine and was really ready to take action, so long as all three groups waited to consummate it till the day of the deadline, as Dennis Schröder isn’t eligible to be re-aggregated in a commerce till then. There are different caveats, however legally, these groups might theoretically make the commerce under, even when it’s most likely too deranged and sophisticated to ever get agreed to in actual life.
Might I current to you, expensive 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 essential to notice a pair issues right here…
- The Warriors would additionally need to 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 minimize a number of gamers. Nevertheless, in line with my (communications-degree-level) cap math, all of them ought to have sufficient room to take action, however I’m positive SB Nation’s big range of part-time CBA specialists within the feedback will let me know if I missed one thing.
- LeBron James would additionally need to be upset sufficient concerning the AD commerce to waive his no-trade clause to affix Golden State, one thing he has indicated to date 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 this kind of transfer was legally attainable underneath the CBA.
… HOWEVER, in a world the place all three groups can comply with a deal this sophisticated, get the choose exchanges to an appropriate stage for all events and LeBron agrees to take the James & Son present to San Francisco for one final trip together with his former Finals foes, then, hypothetically, possibly, the Warriors rumored dream might develop into our ridiculous actuality.
It’s most likely not going to occur, however hey, as this weekend confirmed when the Lakers received 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 crew to potential title contender, possibly they actually can say they’re mild years forward of the remainder of the league. We’ll discover out if they will by Thursday, Feb. 6 at 3 p.m. ET when the buzzer sounds on the NBA’s transaction window.