It’s not often LeBron James is in the middle of trade rumors, but the Los Angeles Lakers star found himself in that position last year amid speculation about a deal that would send him to the Golden State Warriors.
For his co-star Anthony Davis, it was odd to hear about James potentially being involved in a trade for the first time in his career.
“I wasn’t on social media at the time so I didn’t see it. I heard about… it was national news,” Davis said. “But I don’t think it affected anybody. I mean, I think that might be the first time ever he was in trade talks in his career. He’s kind of seen everything, so I don’t think that affected him, it didn’t affect our team. But it was definitely strange to hear in a sense of like, it was the first time he’s ever been talked about in a trade before.”
In February, shortly after the trade deadline, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne reported that the Warriors proposed a trade for James that would bring him to Golden State, but James and the Lakers were not “willing to explore” the deal.
The blockbuster trade would have teamed up James and his longtime rival Stephen Curry, but he ultimately preferred to stick with Davis and Los Angeles.
For the first time, James and Curry played together as they led Team USA to a gold medal at the Paris Olympics. James spoke highly of playing with the star he has competed against for the last decade.
Anthony Davis says it was “strange” to hear about the Warriors inquiring about trading for LeBron last season but added “it didn’t affect our team … it didn’t happen” pic.twitter.com/GPEyXwrUqo
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) October 15, 2024
“It was everything and more,” James said Monday, per the Associated Press’ Greg Beacham. “I was super excited to be able to finally team up with him in a win-or-die type atmosphere. That’s what it was, being a part of the Olympics. It was everything that I dreamed of and aspired to want, to be a part of that team, along with Steph. Great memories. Something that I’ll remember from my basketball career for the rest of my life, for sure.”
Though he looks back at his time with Curry fondly, James admitted that he has “no idea” if he’ll ever team up with him again, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
For now, James will focus on the season ahead for himself, Davis and the Lakers. Los Angeles finished last season 47-35 and reached the playoffs via the play-in tournament, losing to the Denver Nuggets in the first round.
James, who will be 40 in December, is hoping to continue to add to his already historic resume with another title.
