LeBron James has won four championships in his NBA career — two with the Miami Heat, one with the Cleveland Cavaliers and one with the Los Angeles Lakers. While LeBron is entering the twilight stage of his career, he is still one of the best players in the league and can absolutely get to a fifth championship before he is done.
It did not appear like LeBron was going to be able to get championship no. 5 with Russell Westbrook in Los Angeles. However, all signs are now pointing to the Lakers getting a trade done for Kyrie Irving that would ship Westbrook to Brooklyn. Suddenly, the Lakers could be true contenders again.
With a Kyrie Irving trade is going to be a Kevin Durant trade. Durant requested a trade from Brooklyn after Kyrie opted into his deal and it has essentially frozen the NBA. Just about every team in the league should be interested in Kevin Durant — including the 2022 NBA Champions.
Even though the Golden State Warriors won a championship without him and things didn’t seem to end well last time, the team could still be in the market for a Durant trade. NBA insider Marc J. Spears reported that the Warriors do have interest in KD and they certainly have the assets to get a trade done.
It’s no surprise to me that Warriors have interest in Kevin Durant, according to sources. So does more more than half the league. It’s KEVIN DURANT. You better make the call if you’re an NBA GM. It’s KEVIN DURANT.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) July 3, 2022
If a Warriors trade for Kevin Durant happens then they will likely steal titles from LeBron James and the Lakers.
If LeBron James did not run up against one of the most dominant NBA teams of all time then he definitely would have at least one more championship than he currently does. And if the Warriors once again obtain KD, LeBron will likely end his NBA career with just four rings.
Golden State could absolutely pull off a KD trade if they wanted to. They have the assets and the contracts to make it happen and we know that the team has no problem paying a massive luxury tax bill.
The Warriors have the picks to trade and they could build those picks around a package of Andrew Wiggins and James Wiseman. Wiggins’ value has never been higher after his NBA Finals performance and Brooklyn could try and flip his expiring for more assets. Meanwhile, Wiseman was the second-round pick of the 2020 NBA Draft and has a lot of potential.
Golden State could even throw 2021 lottery picks Jonathan Kuminga or Moses Moody into the package to make the Nets more intrigued. They absolutely have the means to make it work and it would create yet another super team that we could pencil into the NBA Finals.
3 free agents under 25 the Los Angeles Lakers could sign
The Los Angeles Lakers have made it a point to bring in youth this offseason and the team can still pursue these three free agents under 25.
Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns is also another nightmare situation for LeBron James and the Lakers, but at least it would be a fresh team. The Warriors getting KD and keeping both LeBron and Kyrie from winning another ring together would be extremely painful.