How the Warriors have become the standard Lakers must live up to moving forward

The Los Angeles Lakers are at the proverbial team-building crossroads. LeBron James continues to play at an All-NBA level, but as he prepares for his 22nd season, the daunting reality that retirement could be nearing is factoring into every decision the Lakers make.

That's a challenging enough reality on its own, but a new set of hurdles have been placed in front of Los Angeles thanks to Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors.

Curry and James became teammates on a competitive stage for the first time ever at the 2024 Summer Olympics. During that time, their relationship was strengthened off the court and their coexistence was established as elite on it.

Curry and James routinely ran action that overwhelmed the opposition, ultimately going play-for-play as Team USA secured the Olympic gold medal.

While Curry and James were striking gold in Paris, the rumor mill offered intriguing information. It was reported that Rich Paul prevented a trade that would've sent James to the Warriors ahead of the 2024 NBA trade deadline.

Curry has also spoken openly about the experience of playing with his rival, even going as far as to say that he hopes to share the court with James again in the future.

Will Stephen Curry join the Lakers? Could LeBron James go to the Warriors?

With this established, one can't help but feel as though an arms race has begun. It's possible that Curry and James will never become teammates in the NBA, but on the off chance that it transpires, the Lakers and Warriors will take center stage.

In that scenario, both organizations would be presented with a simple question about which of the two is better positioned to help Curry and James win a title in a potential sole season as teammates.

It's a time-sensitive issue, making the present state of the franchises as crucial as any other form of context. James will turn 40 this season, while Curry will turn 37, thus implying that one or both will retire before they could have a chance to join forces.

It certainly doesn't help that Curry signed an extension through the 2026-27 season, when he'll turn 39 and James will be 43.

If both of these all-time greats continue to defy Father Time, however, a team-up could transpire. Curry's contract situation implies that Golden State is the more likely destination in the short-term, as does the fact that James played for Warriors head coach Steve Kerr with Team USA.

If Los Angeles is able to build something more structurally sound around James, however, it stands to reason that a trade could become less of an impossibility and more of a pipe dream.

Perhaps the Warriors will struggle moving forward, thus resulting in a trade request via Curry. In that scenario, the Lakers could make a last-ditch effort to win a championship with James and Anthony Davis, bringing Curry in to complete an aging yet legendary big three.

It's all a matter of fantasy at this stage, but every trade is until it one day transpires. It's up to the Lakers to prove to be the more desirable team to play for.