The Warriors getting LeBron James and Kevin Durant is essentially the most unhinged rumor of the NBA commerce deadline

The final time Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry teamed up within the NBA, the end result was three NBA Finals appearances and two titles in three years. After which, a number of years after separating, they bought collectively as a part of the USA Basketball Avengers with LeBron James to steer america to a gold medal on the 2024 Paris Olympics final summer time.

So even when it appears unimaginable, one could possibly be forgiven if pondering an NBA crew that includes these three might nonetheless be fairly good for an NBA Expendables-style, one-last-job-type title run, even when all of them are going a bit grey within the beard (in LeBron’s case, actually). Nevertheless it’s additionally the kind of midseason transaction twister that might get thrown out by NBA 2K’s machine logic for being too unrealistic and a set of strikes which might be almost unimaginable to work below the league’s new, extra restrictive collective bargaining settlement.

However as this weekend in basketball confirmed us, “almost unimaginable” isn’t the identical as really unimaginable. Within the aftermath of that Lakers heist, it’s onerous guilty the Golden State Warriors for dreaming huge. In any case, if Luka Doncic can get traded to the Lakers seemingly out of nowhere, nothing is off the desk.

And nicely, dreaming huge is strictly what the Warriors are doing as a result of, in line with the newest dispatch from NBA insider Jake Fischer for The Stein Line, Golden State is letting themselves fantasize a couple of world the place Durant, James and Curry crew up in The Bay below Olympics coach Steve Kerr earlier than Thursday’s NBA commerce deadline:

Sources say essentially the most formidable concept being tossed round amongst Golden State’s decision-makers: Is there any possible pathway for the Warriors to tug off the dreamiest of outcomes and discover a approach to deliver each James and Durant to The Bay?

That will require fairly the masterstroke. And whereas pulling that off at the moment stands as most unlikely, each from a salary-matching and asset valuation standpoint, that is the kind of big-game searching that has outlined these Warriors. From their unique Durant free company thunderbolt in 2016 … to final commerce deadline’s inquiries about James … to this previous offseason’s aggressive pursuits of each Paul George and Lauri Markkanen and, at instances, attempting to accumulate each of them.

That’s clearly large, kind of insane, and results in one huge query.

Might the Warriors really commerce for each LeBron James and Kevin Durant?

It will be tough, however the reply is — kind of shockingly given the hellish restrictions of the brand new CBA and all three crew’s cap conditions — really sure.

I spent manner an excessive amount of time earlier than even writing this text looking for a legally workable deal within the commerce machine and was really ready to take action, so long as all three groups waited to consummate it till the day of the deadline, as Dennis Schröder shouldn’t be eligible to be re-aggregated in a commerce till then. There are different caveats, however legally, these groups might theoretically make the commerce under, even when it’s most likely too deranged and complex to ever get agreed to in actual life.

Might I current to you, expensive readers, essentially the most unhinged commerce machine screenshot I’ve ever included in an article:

Picture by way of https://fanspo.com/nba/trade-machine

Now, it’s essential to notice a pair issues right here…

1. The Warriors would additionally need to signal a number of gamers off the road to fill out the legally required 14 gamers for his or her roster, and each the Lakers and Suns must minimize a number of gamers. Nonetheless, in line with my (communications-degree-level) cap math, all of them ought to have sufficient room to take action, however I’m positive SB Nation’s big range of part-time CBA consultants within the feedback will let me know if I missed one thing.
2. LeBron James would additionally need to be upset sufficient in regards to the AD commerce to waive his no-trade clause to affix Golden State, one thing he has indicated up to now that he’s not going to do, which if true, will nonetheless solely go down as solely his second-most ruthless rejection of Warriors followers’ title desires ever.
3. There would additionally clearly be draft picks being despatched out right here by the Warriors, however I didn’t even need to get into the logic of that and simply needed to see if such a transfer was legally doable below the CBA.

… HOWEVER, in a world the place all three groups can comply with a deal this difficult, get the decide exchanges to an appropriate degree for all events and LeBron agrees to take the James & Son present to San Francisco for one final trip along with his former Finals foes, then, hypothetically, perhaps, the Warriors rumored dream might turn out to be our ridiculous actuality.

It’s most likely not going to occur, however hey, as this weekend confirmed when the Lakers bought Luka Doncic for fewer first-round picks than the Spurs used to commerce for De’Aaron Fox, it by no means hurts for an NBA glamour franchise to dream huge. And if the Warriors pull off one thing this loopy to go from a play-in crew to potential title contender, perhaps they actually can say they’re gentle years forward of the remainder of the league. We’ll discover out if they’ll by Thursday, Feb. 6 at 3 p.m. ET when the buzzer sounds on the NBA’s transaction window.