Earlier today ESPN's Chris Haynes published a piece in which he says LeBron James would listen to a pitch by the Golden State Warriors this summer when he officially becomes a free agent. Of course, the Warriors would have to first put themselves in a position to offer LeBron a max contract, which would likely include a Klay Thompson sign-and-trade among other moves, but the underlining message was it could happen.
Naturally, reporters covering the Warriors today asked Kevin Durant what he thought about the possibility of LeBron joining the best team in the league. In a word, KD says, "Bullshit."
However, the 29-year old All-Star forward went on to say that we've seen crazier things happen before, such as a couple years ago when he left OKC for Golden State.
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As we approach the NBA All-Star break, the Warriors are right where everyone expected them to be - sitting atop the NBA with the best record in the league. Golden State isn't running away with the Western Conference crown by any stretch, their 40-11 record is just three games better than the second place Houston Rockets, but the thought of them adding LeBron James is enough to make any man sick.
According to ESPN's Kevin Pelton, the Warriors could build an offer around Klay and Andre Iguodala to match salary and tempt the Cavs into making a deal.
ESPN's Chris Haynes writes,
"James and his business team have been known to covet structure, if he were to leave his hometown team. With Golden State, an ultra-aggressive general manager in Bob Myers, the ownership group as a whole and coach Steve Kerr are the epitome of that."
For the sign-and-trade option to be a possibility, Kevin Durant would also need to decline his player option and take less than his current salary of $25 million. Golden State would ultimately have to fill out its bench with players making the league minimum.
