The Warriors’ interest in adding LeBron James in free agency is the league’s worst-kept secret, but it would appear their ambitions don’t end with landing the 41-year-old, four-time MVP.
Golden State is also pursuing Wizards big man Anthony Davis in the hope of reuniting the championship-winning duo in the Bay Area, Kevin O’Connor reports for Yahoo Sports.
Such a deal would require the inclusion of the injured Jimmy Butler for salary-matching purposes, and likely draft compensation as well.
The Wizards have previously expressed their desire to retain Davis, whom they landed at the trade deadline, as they continue to try to push back up the Eastern Conference standings. Swapping the star big man for Butler, who is not expected to return to the court until the middle of winter as he recovers from ACL surgery, could be seen as taking a step back in the short-term, despite Davis’ own injury concerns.
A third team could be included in the deal to provide a landing spot for Butler and more win-now pieces for the Wizards, O’Connor speculates. Butler has said that his preference would be to play out the rest of his career in Golden State, as he has strong respect for the organization and star Stephen Curry.
Davis will become extension-eligible in August if he isn’t traded, a date that would be pushed back six months. It’s unclear how willing the Warriors would be to consider a long-term extension for the talented but often-injured big man, given Curry’s age.
Both James and Davis are expected to have their share of suitors on the free agency and trade markets, respectively, this summer, which could complicate the Warriors’ efforts to put together a star-studded, veteran superteam around franchise cornerstones Draymond Green and Curry.