Warriors reportedly prepare a double strike: Anthony Davis as a path toward LeBron James and a final title push around Stephen Curry
The Golden State Warriors in San Francisco are entering the summer with a plan that, if it came to fruition, would completely change the balance of power around Stephen Curry. According to a Yahoo Sports report, the club is considering the possibility of trading for Anthony Davis, now a member of the Washington Wizards, so that it would then have a stronger argument in an attempt to bring in LeBron James in free agency. The idea is clear: reunite James and Davis, the duo that won the 2020 NBA title with the Los Angeles Lakers, but this time alongside Curry's shooting gravity and Steve Kerr's coaching framework. Still, according to the available information, this is not an agreed deal, but an ambitious scenario that depends on a series of financial, sporting and negotiating obstacles. Ahead of the opening of the NBA free-agent market, such a plan says more about the Warriors' intention to use the remaining part of Curry's championship window than about a certain outcome that is already within reach.
A plan that for now exists as a negotiating signal
Yahoo Sports reported that the Warriors are interested in Davis and that bringing him in should serve as part of a broader presentation to LeBron James. Hoops Rumors, citing the same report, states that Golden State's interest in James has for some time been one of the most frequently mentioned topics before the start of free agency, but that an attempt involving Davis would represent a much broader and more demanding move. That is an important distinction: a club can show interest, gather information and send signals to the market, but for a trade of that size, a concrete offer, the consent of the other side and a sustainable construction within the framework of NBA salary rules are needed. At this moment there is no official confirmation that the Warriors and Wizards have agreed any kind of deal, nor that LeBron James has made a decision to change teams. That is why the whole story must be read as an early summer scenario with high potential, but also with a very high level of uncertainty.
In recent years the Warriors have often been connected with big names, from Kevin Durant to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kawhi Leonard, but they have not managed to realize most of those ambitions. Such a pattern is not unusual for a club that still has Curry, one of the most influential players in modern basketball, but at the same time must balance between an aging core, limited room under the salary cap and increasingly strict rules from the new collective bargaining agreement. From Golden State's perspective, Davis would solve a problem that has recurred across several seasons: the lack of a dominant interior presence that can protect the rim, take on demanding defensive assignments and at the same time punish defenses on offense. From LeBron James's perspective, at least in theory, a team with Curry and Davis would offer familiar partners, a high level of experience and a clear short-term goal. But theory and real market feasibility in the NBA are often two very different things.
Why Davis is a key part of the imagined mosaic
Anthony Davis ended up in Washington in February 2026 in a major trade with the Dallas Mavericks and Charlotte Hornets, NBA.com reported. According to that report, the Wizards received Davis, Jaden Hardy, D'Angelo Russell and Dante Exum, while Dallas received a package of players and draft picks, and Charlotte received Malaki Branham. That trade was important because it confirmed that Davis's career after leaving the Lakers continued in a completely different context, far from the role of the second pillar alongside James. NBA.com stated at the time that Washington had made a turn away from a long-term rebuild toward an attempt to create a more competitive core, especially after the earlier acquisition of Trae Young. If the Warriors were now truly to try to bring in Davis, talks would have to be held with a club that recently acquired him and that would have to assess whether it pays off to change direction again.
From a sporting point of view, Davis is an almost perfect profile of player for Golden State's need for an elite big man. He can play center in the closing stages of games, defend the area around the rim, switch onto smaller players in certain situations and offensively live off passes from creators such as Curry and James. His presence would allow the Warriors to have a different defensive structure, because the perimeter players could pressure the ball more aggressively knowing that they have protection behind them at the rim. On offense, Davis would open additional options through the pick-and-roll, short-roll play toward the middle and situations in which the defense must choose between Curry's shot, James's creation and Davis's finishing near the basket. In such a system, his value would not be measured only by numbers, but also by the way he changes the distribution of power on the court.
At the same time, Davis's health history and the size of his contract make any such trade risky. NBA.com stated in February that Davis was then out of the lineup because of a ligament injury in his left hand, although surgery was not required. The broader picture of his career shows that he is a player who, when healthy, can be the defensive anchor of a title contender, but whose availability regularly becomes one of the main factors in evaluation. For the Warriors, that would mean investing a significant part of their flexibility in a player who would have to raise the team's ceiling immediately. For the Wizards, the question would be different: can a potential Golden State package be valuable enough for them to give up a player who was brought in as part of a change in the franchise's direction?
LeBron James and the market that opens on June 30
According to the NBA's official calendar, teams can begin negotiating with upcoming free agents on June 30 at 6 p.m. Eastern Time, while contracts can begin to be signed on July 6. That means the story about LeBron James will formally accelerate only after the market opens, unless he reaches a new agreement with the Los Angeles Lakers before then. Hoops Rumors earlier in June, citing Jake Fischer and Marc Stein, stated that there is a widespread belief around the league that James remaining in Los Angeles could be his first choice. The same source, however, emphasized that the Warriors are considered the main threat if an agreement with the Lakers does not develop in the desired direction. That is precisely why a possible trade for Davis is viewed as Golden State's attempt to offer James more than an ordinary invitation to cooperate with Curry.
James's decision will not be only a sporting one. For more than two decades he has been one of the most important global athletes, and every change of club carries financial, family, business and reputational consequences. The Lakers have the advantage of continuity and, according to interpretations of the NBA market, a better position to offer a contract thanks to the rights that clubs have over their own free agents. Without a more complex maneuver, the Warriors would have to find a way for James to agree to a significantly different financial structure from the one Los Angeles can offer. That is why American analyses often mention that Golden State would have to offer a convincing sporting project, not just money. In that sense, Davis would be the strongest possible argument: a familiar teammate, proven chemistry and a player who has already shown that with James he can be part of a championship core.
For Curry, the arrival of James, and especially the arrival of James and Davis together, would mark one of the biggest changes in the final phase of his career. The Warriors have won four titles with Curry, and his game is still based on a rare combination of movement without the ball, long-distance shooting and the ability to create space for everyone else. James would bring additional organization of the offense, control of tempo and physical strength on the wing, while Davis would allow the team to be more dangerous even in slower playoff possessions. Such a combination sounds impressive on paper, but it would require a clear division of roles, discipline on defense and enough healthy supporting players. In the modern NBA, names by themselves are no longer enough if they are not accompanied by rotation depth and financial flexibility.
The financial math could be the biggest obstacle
The Warriors' official announcement from 2024 confirms that Stephen Curry signed an extension that keeps him under contract through the 2026/27 season. According to Spotrac's data, Curry's cap hit for that season is about 62.6 million dollars, while Jimmy Butler's contract is also one of the largest on the team, with a cap hit that Spotrac lists for 2026/27 at approximately 56.8 million dollars. That does not mean that a trade for Davis is impossible, but it does mean that every construction would have to be assembled around large salaries and under rules that restrict teams near the tax apron thresholds. Spotrac's overview of salary apron rules shows that teams above the second apron lose access to some exceptions and cannot simply combine several smaller contracts in order to bring in one more expensive player. For a club like Golden State, which has for years been among the most financially aggressive NBA organizations, that is a serious obstacle.
In practice, the Warriors would have to find a package that Washington considers a sporting and financial improvement, while at the same time they would not be allowed to destroy the depth of their own rotation. In theoretical analyses of such trades, large contracts are often mentioned because without them it is not easy to match salaries, but no concrete package has been officially confirmed. Jimmy Butler, because of the size of his contract, would be a logical element in many hypothetical constructions, but his value depends on his health, age, the Warriors' plans and the willingness of another team to take on such a contract. Draymond Green, if he remains part of the team, also has importance that goes beyond statistics, because he is the defensive organizer and Curry's longtime partner. Any move that would bring in Davis could therefore simultaneously open a championship ceiling and create new holes that would be difficult to fill with minimum contracts.
The financial part of the story is also important for LeBron James. Hoops Rumors stated that Golden State, without a sign-and-trade agreement or a major reshaping of the roster, would probably be limited to an amount similar to the mid-level exception, projected at around 15 million dollars. For a player of James's status, that would be significantly less than the amounts the Lakers can offer if they want to keep him. Because of that, it is clear that the Warriors, if they really want to realize this scenario, would have to win not only with a sporting vision but also with a convincing explanation of why James should accept a different financial and life construction. Davis's presence would be a large part of that explanation, but it would not automatically solve all the obstacles.
A veteran superteam brings both appeal and risk
On the court, a potential core of Curry, James and Davis would be one of the most recognizable in league history, but also one of the oldest among title contenders. In 2026 Curry is already deep in the final phase of his career, James would be entering another record-setting continuation of his longevity in the next season, and Davis would have to remain healthy enough to carry the greatest defensive burden. Such a team could look extremely dangerous in short series, especially if Kerr found the right balance between Curry's movement, James's creation and Davis's interior dominance. However, an 82-game regular season requires continuity, energy and a bench that can survive periods of rest for the main players. That is an area in which any loss of depth in a major trade could become just as important as the star names themselves.
The Warriors would also have to solve the question of speed and defense on the perimeter. James and Davis can bring size, experience and intelligence, but against younger Western teams, players who can guard explosive guards, run in transition and hit open shots without a large number of plays for themselves will be important. In their championship era, Golden State always had more than stars: it had Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, Kevon Looney, later Andrew Wiggins and a series of players who accepted very specific roles. If a new project around Curry, James and Davis were too thin beyond the main trio, opponents could attack it in the playoffs through fatigue, injuries and a lack of athleticism. If, on the other hand, the Warriors managed to retain enough useful players, their combination of experience and top-level talent would be a serious threat.
For the NBA league, such an outcome would be one of the biggest narratives of the decade. LeBron James and Stephen Curry have marked more than ten years with mutual Finals, rivalry and occasional partnership in a national-team context. Their joining in the same club, especially with Davis as the third pillar, would change the media and marketing dynamics of the entire season. But from the clubs' perspective, sentiment is not enough. Washington would have to receive a package that fits its strategy, the Lakers would have to lose or fail to retain the biggest name of their more recent era, and the Warriors would have to accept a short-term risk that could leave them with very little room for corrections if the first version of the project does not succeed.
What follows after June 29
On the date June 29, 2026, it is most accurate to say that the Warriors are reportedly exploring a path toward a double move, but that the entire process is far from complete. The first important moment comes on June 30, when the NBA allows negotiations with free agents from other teams. The second comes on July 6, when contracts can begin to be officially signed and when many agreements from the moratorium take formal shape. If James quickly reaches an agreement with the Lakers, Golden State's entire construction could remain only an unrealized ambition. If, however, his future remains open, every piece of news about Davis's status in Washington will gain additional weight.
For now there is no official confirmation that the Warriors have sent an offer the Wizards would accept, nor that James has expressed readiness to leave Los Angeles for San Francisco. What does exist is the logic of a club that knows Curry's window cannot be extended indefinitely. Golden State is therefore looking for a way to again create around him a team with a real championship ceiling, even if the price is high and the risk obvious. In that context Davis is not only a potential reinforcement under the basket, but also a symbol of the seriousness of the offer to LeBron James. The coming days will show whether this is the beginning of one of the biggest summer stories in the NBA or yet another ambitious plan that remained trapped between imagination, the salary cap and negotiating reality.
Sources:
- Yahoo Sports – Kevin O'Connor's report on the Warriors' interest in Anthony Davis and LeBron James (link)
- Hoops Rumors – summary and context of the report about the Warriors' possible interest in Anthony Davis (link)
- Hoops Rumors – analysis of LeBron James's status ahead of 2026 free agency and the Warriors' position (link)
- NBA.com – official announcement of the trade by which Anthony Davis arrived at the Washington Wizards (link)
- NBA.com – key dates of 2026 free agency (link)
- Golden State Warriors / NBA.com – official announcement of Stephen Curry's contract extension through the 2026/27 season (link)
- Spotrac – data on contracts and salary apron rules relevant to the construction of major trades (link)