Stephen Curry's response to his front office's reported ploy to acquire LeBron James was a giveaway. Curry admitted that his team was justified to "call just to see" if James was available. In an alternative universe, where his Warriors weren't a play-in team, Curry would have likely praised his teammates and said something along the lines of, "We have everything we need to win a championship."
But Curry knows the Warriors don't have enough to win him his fifth ring. That he labeled Golden State a "very average" team after Wednesday's loss to the Clippers was another giveaway.
Granted the Warriors — having won eight of their last 10 games — are in the middle of a mid-season resurgence, there aren't many willing to stick their neck out and pick them to make a deep postseason run.
If Curry, who turns 36 next month, goes another June without competing for a title, there's every indication his front office will go the distance to make the 2024-25 campaign a more successful one. According to ESPN's Zach Lowe, the Warriors could resume their pursuit of James in the offseason.
"You can’t blame the Warriors for trying," Lowe said on ESPN's "Get Up" while discussing Golden State's pursuit of James. "I'll tell you this — despite what Rich Paul said about LeBron wanting to remain a Laker forever and ever, I don't think the Warriors are done trying. Because, like Steph said, 'Why not pick up the phone and keep on trying?'"
.@ZachLowe_NBA doesn't believe the Warriors are done trying to get LeBron pic.twitter.com/FU9iz7c4kO
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) February 15, 2024
James will be a free agent this summer if he doesn't exercise his player option before June 29. The Lakers, too, are reportedly expected to be very aggressive this offseason with hopes of forming a new Big 3 with an All-Star level guard, James and Anthony Davis. While the likelihood of James becoming a Warrior remains slim, the modern NBA has taught us that it would be unwise to rule out anything.
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