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1 hour ago
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LeBron James and Stephen Curry are very much in the final phase of their careers, and their push for a fifth NBA championship could go very well if both come together. There is one more piece in Anthony Davis who can make the team nearly unbeatable.
But how will the Golden State Warriors make this happen, given the franchise is projected to be more than $105 million over the salary cap entering the new league year, according to Spotrac?
The Los Angeles Lakers star is entering unrestricted free agency. His former championship teammate, Davis, who was traded to the Dallas Mavericks for Luka Doncic, is now under contract with the Washington Wizards.
The road to getting both is anything but simple.
MORE: LeBron James and Anthony Davis rumored to reunite on surprise team
LeBron James is the easier piece
LeBron opted out of his deal with the Lakers. For the Warriors, it is a good chance to get Curry, LeBron, Draymond Green and head Steve Kerr playing for the same goal. The group had success with Team USA at the Paris Olympics.
Convincing the four-time NBA champion would be easy, but it all comes down to Golden State's finances.
The franchise is well above the salary cap with max-level contracts committed to Curry and Jimmy Butler. That means there is no meaningful cap space for LeBron to come in without financial restraints. However, the Warriors' chances of landing LeBron increase multi-fold if he decides to take a significant pay cut, potentially signing for the non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
MORE: Reports say LeBron James will likely leave the Los Angeles Lakers in the offseason
Landing Anthony Davis would require some bold move from Warriors
Unlike LeBron, Anthony Davis can't simply say, 'I also want to join them.'
The 10-time All-Star is under contract with the Wizards, who acquired him before the 2026 trade deadline by surrendering significant draft capital. Therefore, they have every reason to build the roster around him rather than give him away.
This boils down to the Warriors giving the Wizards someone extremely special. Jimmy Butler, who is on a massive expiring contract, must be the first name to enter the trade discussion, but he may not be enough. With him, the Warriors would also need to include another potential trade asset, such as Jonathan Kuminga (in a sign-and-trade scenario), Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski, Trayce Jackson-Davis and maybe future first-round picks.
In any realistic scenario, Butler would be required for salary matching purpose, which in itself is a bold decision for the Warriors to begin with.
Not saying it's any easy, but if there is a proper motivation to get a group of guys together, there is some chance to get them.
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