ESPN sources say Golden State asked about trade

Lakers and James said they had no desire for deal

The Golden State Warriors made an extraordinary attempt to unite two of the biggest rivals in NBA history – LeBron James and Stephen Curry – at last week’s NBA trade deadline, according to ESPN.

Speculation had mounted over the 39-year-old’s future with the Los Angeles Lakers after he posted an image of an hourglass on social media before the trade deadline. The Lakers are ninth in the Western Conference this season, one place above the Warriors, who are on a five-game winning streak.

According to ESPN, Warriors forward Draymond Green, who shares an agent with James, encouraged the team to reach out to the Lakers about a possible trade. Lakers owner Jeanie Buss said the team did not want to trade its biggest star but was open to a deal if James was determined to leave. However, after reaching out to James’s agent, Rich Paul, the message came back that he wanted to remain a Laker and had no desire to join the Warriors.

ESPN said James also intends to return to the Lakers next season, but there could be renewed interest from the Warriors and the Philadelphia 76ers, who are also understood to have made inquiries about the future Hall of Famer around the trade deadline.

James and the Warriors met in four straight NBA finals, starting in the 2014-15 season when he was part of the Cleveland Cavaliers, with Golden State winning three of the match-ups. However, the Cavaliers’ victory in the 2016 NBA finals remains the defining moment of James’s career as he led his team back from a 3-1 deficit to clinch their first-ever title. Those finals also helped define his rivalry with Curry as the two produced numerous brilliant performances for their teams.

Although James is almost 40 and no longer at his peak, he is still an effective player. He was named an NBA All-Star for the 20th time this season and is averaging 24.8 point a game.