Charania went on ESPN’s “NBA Today” to discuss the Warriors picking up their pursuit of a big trade, prompting analysts Michael Wilbon and Kendrick Perkins to identify LeBron James as the star they want to see come to the Bay Area. The unlikely (and year-old) hypothetical sucked up more than four minutes of airtime.
After watching James and Steph Curry play together in the Olympics, Wilbon said he wants to see the duo back together — especially because he sees the Lakers’ current struggles as indicative of their fleeting chances going forward.
“The Lakers stink, all right? The Lakers are not going to do anything. The Lakers are not any good,” Wilbon said. “You have [Anthony Davis] and LeBron playing 90% of the games and they are the seventh and eighth seed at best in the West. Is LeBron going to ride out another season like that? Why would he? Why does he need to?”
Wilbon even quipped James could continue to live in Los Angeles and just fly back and forth to the Bay Area to play for the Warriors, asking “NBA Today” host Malika Andrews, who grew up in the Bay Area, how long the flight is. He concluded: “This is tailor-made for those two guys to play together and finish their career.”
Perkins agreed, noting how James has made his frustration with the Lakers evident throughout their middling start to the season. (He didn’t mention that James’ numbers are trending down, most notably with lower shooting percentages and his lowest points-per-game average, 22.3, since his rookie year.)
“They’re on the market looking for a star,” Perkins said of the Warriors. “What star is out there that’s going to move the needle so that they can actually have a legitimate shot at winning the championship that makes the most sense? They’re looking for a playmaker, right? That’s LeBron James. You need the size, because the wing position is the most important position in the NBA. That’s LeBron James.
“Now I don’t know what the numbers look like, but I do know this makes a lot of sense.”
That left reporter (and known Warriors antagonist) Brian Windhorst to be the voice of reason, with Windhorst pointing out how each team’s cap situations would make any trade difficult to pull off without a third team involved. James also has a no-trade clause, meaning the Lakers cannot trade him without his approval. That’s where Windhorst found the biggest flaw with the trade idea.
“Twice in the last 10 months, LeBron has had an opportunity to leave the Lakers,” Windhorst said. “Once last year at the trade deadline, when the Warriors called. The Lakers came to LeBron and he said no, he did not go forward with that. Then in the summer, he was an unrestricted free agent, and he told the Lakers, ‘I will take less money if you can build this roster up.’ They did not build the roster up and he still re-signed. So I’ve seen LeBron twice have opportunities to leave the Lakers and stay there.”
Barring any injuries, basketball fans will next get to see James and Curry on the court together on Christmas Day, when the Warriors and Lakers face off in San Francisco at 5 p.m.