The 2 realistic sign-and-trades the Warriors could make for LeBron
Millions were jolted awake Thursday morning as a report came to light saying LeBron James would consider meeting to his nemesis Golden State Warriors in free agency.
However likely James playing for the Warriors even is, such a coup would be a massive undertaking. Unless he were to opt out of his current deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers and then agree to a significant pay cut with the Warriors (unlikely), the only way to deliver James to the Bay Area is via a sign-and-trade.
From that point, there are two ways James could do things: Either opt into his 2018-19 contract at $35.6 million or opt out and get paid a little more based on where the NBA salary cap lands for next season.
Keeping in mind that trading Stephen Curry and/or Kevin Durant probably defeats the purpose of this exercise, here are the only two options for a James sign-and-trade, based on the Warriors' 2018-19 salary-cap commitments of $130,041,153, per Basketball Insiders.
Klay Thompson, Draymond Green for LeBron
Thompson and Green's combined salaries for 2018-19 add up to a little under $36.5 million. That more or less matches up with James' present salary, so it could be a go. The problem is, the Warriors would be out of their minds to do it, even if it's The King we're talking about.
Giving up two key players still in their 20s for James, who turns 34 in December, isn't wise on its own. Yet losing an elite shooter in Thompson, and especially the Warriors' jack-of-all-trades in Green, would essentially re-invent the Dubs' lineup. Sure, James is the greatest player of his generation and could slide 3-4 and 4-5 with Kevin Durant. However, the Warriors would lose their defensive X-factor in Green and his seamless switching abilities.
Make no mistake: The Warriors would still be dominant and easily win an NBA title if healthy. It's just that a smart front office would need to draw a line somewhere, and it would be easy to do so given that the Cavs wouldn't have that much leverage.
Likelihood: Very low
Klay Thompson, Andre Igoudala for LeBron
This is more realistic from an outgoing talent perspective in today's marketplace. Thompson and Iguodala's combined salaries for 2018-19 sit at around $35 million. As a result however, the Warriors wouldn't be done yet. They would need to move Shaun Livingston's $8.3-million salary elsewhere, and likely need to get Durant to decline his player option and re-sign for less money.
In both situations, the Warriors would need to fill out their bench with minimum contracts. That wouldn't be a problem, seeing as the lineup of ring-chasing veteran minimum players would begin at the Mississippi River. The Warriors are already built in a similar manner now, with David West, Omri Casspi, Zaza Pachulia, JaVale McGee, Nick Young, and Kevon Looney all set to come off the books this summer.
On the floor, it goes without saying the team would be unstoppable. The Warriors have been revolutionaries of positionless basketball, but with this squad, it wouldn't matter who played what. James could run the point, play center, and pop out as a stretch four all in one three-minute stretch, while Kevin freaking Durant continued to do his own thing. In the backcourt, Curry would be in a position to shoot more. This team could probably trot out a 50-year-old Vlade Divac at the five and still win 67 games.
Likelihood: At least plausible
We're in near-fantasy territory here, however. James to the Warriors would probably sink the NBA for good, but the entertainment and sideshow value would be unprecedented.