Around the 2023-24 season’s trade deadline situation, LeBron James and the Golden State Warriors had caused a stir. Yeah, you read that sentence correctly, don’t worry. The Bay Area franchise owner Joe Lacob reached out to Jeanie Buss, proposing a trade deal to rope in King James! However, it didn’t materialize after the superstar turned down the offer, leaving the LA fans in joy. But, the latest update revealed that James turned down the offer, fearing the Kevin Durant nightmare and not out of affection for the Lakers, solely.

For the longest period, we felt that LeBron James stuck with the team out of love until Marc Stein pushed a dagger into their chest. The NBA contributor reported that James’ agent Rich Paul “adamantly opposed” his client from making a jump to the Bay, fearing “potential backlash for switching teams for the 4th time,” fearing a KD-like situation – we’ll dive deeper into this later in the piece.

Coming back to today’s update, dissecting the shocking drop from Stein, Insider Trevor Lane highlighted crucial information that LA fans should take note of. But, before heading into the subject, he shed some light on LeBron James‘ latest trade clause. He added, “Under his new contract, he now has a trade clause that can certainly complicate things because it means if the trade is not to LeBron’s liking, he can just say, ‘No thank you’ and the trade is dead.” 

Following that, Lane continued on King James’ Warriors turned down scenario, saying on Lakers Nation, “What we wanted to hear was, ‘LeBron loves the Lakers, he believes in their future, he believes in the front office… He (Rich Paul and Co.) didn’t want the backlash of LeBron switching teams again! When you think about the backlash that Kevin Durant got when he joined the GSW back in the day. It probably wouldn’t be that bad, but still, he didn’t want that kind of backlash.”

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LeBron James undeniably has an elite reputation in the hoops community. His inspirational journey will continue inspiring generation after generation. However, from past experiences and trades of NBA players itself, we’ve learned that one wrong decision can turn reality into a game of Jenga.

Will LeBron James join the Dubs despite the KD fear?

Firstly, let’s focus on Kevin Durant. The Slim Reaper became public enemy #1 when he ditched the OKC Thunder and joined hands with the overpowered Warriors. It’s been 8 years, and the hate doesn’t seem to have reduced. The 2x champ still receives hate on social media for jumping in and out of teams in his career. He’s switched 2 teams since his Bay Area trade. And LeBron James has changed 3 teams in his career so far and the Dubs’ switch would make him on par with the outspoken veteran.

Nevertheless, looking at the equation after the Paris Olympics, it seems like King James would prefer pairing up with Stephen Curry rather than the Warriors. Interestingly, the Splash Brother hasn’t availed his one-year extension eligibility and will enter free agency next summer. If the stars align, the hoops universe may witness something special unfold before their eyes. A pair-up between King James and Chef Curry in an entirely different franchise. Well, never say never.

And maybe even a Big 3 scenario where Kevin Durant joins the duo. We’re really going into a sort of fantasy mode here, aren’t we? So, we’ll stop for now. However, do you think even half of this will come true? Let us know in the comments below.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.