NBA insider proposes four-team trade sending Stephen Curry to the Lakers

Posted by Admin August 29, 2024 NBA

For the past few weeks, Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James fans have been fantasizing about a way James could team up with Stephen Curry on the Purple and Gold. The two superstars just led Team USA men’s basketball to an Olympic gold medal, and even though both are very deep in their 30s, they’re both still playing at an elite level.

Of course, a trade that would land Curry on the Lakers would be extremely complicated and nearly impossible to pull off for several reasons. The Golden State Warriors, Curry’s current NBA team, would demand tons of compensation from Los Angeles, and Los Angeles simply doesn’t have a lot of viable trade assets.

Eric Pincus, an NBA insider for Bleacher Report, proposed a four-team trade involving the Lakers, Warriors, Detroit Pistons and Brooklyn Nets that would team up James and Curry as members of the Purple and Gold.

The trade proposal

The Lakers receive: Steph Curry (from Warriors), Day’Ron Sharpe (from Nets), Wendell Moore Jr. (from Detroit Pistons) and a $3.9 million trade exception (Jalen Hood-Schifino)

The Warriors receive: Austin Reaves (via Lakers), Ben Simmons (via Nets), 2029 unprotected first-rounder (via Lakers), 2031 unprotected first-rounder (via Lakers) and a $2.4 million trade exception (Curry)

The Nets receive: D’Angelo Russell (via Lakers), Rui Hachimura (via Lakers), Gabe Vincent (via Lakers), Jalen Hood-Schifino (via Lakers), $23.3 million trade exception (Simmons) and a $2.0 million trade exception (Dennis Schröder)

The Pistons receive: Dennis Schröder (via Nets), Christian Wood (via Lakers), 2025 LA Clippers second-rounder (via Lakers), 2025 Miami Heat second-rounder (38-59, via Nets) and $4 million (via Lakers)

The case for this trade

The Warriors missed the playoffs this spring, and they lost Klay Thompson, one of the main cornerstones of their dynasty, to the Dallas Mavericks. They’re going nowhere fast, and perhaps it would be better for them to get some kind of return for Curry than to try to fight to remain barely respectable, barring a massive trade that would make them instant contenders.

For the Lakers, it would be the equivalent of going “all-in” during a game of high-stakes poker. James has said Curry is the superstar he would love to play with in the NBA, and Curry’s 3-point magic would fit in well with new head coach JJ Redick’s offensive philosophy. Curry and James could also take pressure off of each other and thus help each other age more gracefully.

Sharpe would give the Lakers a 6-foot-11, 265-pound center who can rebound and perhaps play a little defense. Such a big man is something they greatly lack right now.

The case against this trade

The Lakers would be giving up a ton in this deal — their starting backcourt, a serviceable backup guard in Vincent who is a good defender and a hustle player, a very good complementary piece in Hachimura and a potential contributor this coming season in Wood.

Hachimura can not only score consistently when involved offensively, but he also has the ability to effectively guard big men at least for stretches. It may be necessary to give him up in a big trade, but his skill sets would need to be replaced.

L.A. would become a thin team after this trade. It would have no viable backup ball-handling guards, and outside of possibly Jarred Vanderbilt, who may be more comfortable playing the 3, it wouldn’t have any power forwards other than James.

As Pincus noted, the pickings would be slim as far as filling out the rest of the roster, both now and next summer.

“Los Angeles would sign two veterans at the minimum to get to the required 14 regular contracts, perhaps targeting Cedi Osman, Markelle Fultz, Justin Holiday and Dennis Smith Jr.,” he wrote.

“The lack of depth means the Lakers need good fortune with health and for young players like Christie, [Dalton] Knecht and Sharpe to perform at a high level. And flexibility next season will be marginal, with just the minimum to offer as a team above the second apron—something the team has been clear it will avoid, save for an opportunity like this one.”

The realities of the NBA’s new ultra-restrictive salary cap are starting to become apparent for teams across the league. This is particularly true for the Lakers, especially when they lack a lot of attractive trade assets.

In addition, Curry is 36 years of age and James is four months away from turning 40 years of age. It is anyone’s guess how much either has left in the tank, and it is very possible either or both future Hall of Famers fall off a cliff this coming season.

With little draft capital and few young prospects remaining, it would be hard for the Lakers to rebuild in a reasonable amount of time once their window with James and Curry closes.

In the end, this trade may be one L.A. would need to say no to for its own good, given all of the ramifications.