The Warriors have gone everywhere in pursuit of a corner man, but options are beginning to run out for the Dubs’ front office. Looking at GSW’s depth chart for the upcoming season, there’s a massive void at the small forward position. Buddy Hield might shoot lights out, but he’s a shooting guard at the end of the day, not a wing. Kerr and Dunleavy have been exploring their options, but despite their best efforts, nothing has worked out so far.

When rumors were floating around about a potential move for LeBron James, the Warriors’ front office started dreaming of hardware. After all, we saw Chef and the King play together last year in the Olympics, and honestly? It’s scary to imagine a league in which they’re on the same team, even if Bron is now 40. However, James’ camp stonewalled any trade conversations, and Lakers’ GM Rob Pelinka shut down these rumors rather publicly.

In a press conference alongside Luka Doncic, Pelinka explained what was going on behind the scenes with LBJ and the Lakers. “All the interactions we’ve had with LeBron and his camp, Rich Paul in particular, have been very positive and supportive,” the Lakers’ General Manager said. He went on to talk about how the organization would respect the legend’s timetable for his career. But there was one thing Rob Pelinka needed to add. “If he had the chance to retire as a Laker, that would be great.”

So, LeBron isn’t an option. But the question remains: Who will the Golden State Warriors slot in at the three? Well, if you can’t get the GOAT, might as well go after some young talent. Even though Steve Kerr recently admitted that he’s not great at developing young talent, there are always exceptions. And looking through his gameplay and his stats, Trey Murphy III certainly seems to be different than the rest.

Standing at six-foot-eight, the Pelicans wing has shown signs of improvement every single year. Before tearing his rotator cuff and labrum last year, Trey had jumped up to a career-high 21 points and 4 rebounds a game while shooting nearly 40% from deep. Adding him to the Dubs would be an immediate improvement. He can space the floor, finish at the rim, and can guard 1-5 because of his incredible length.

But even though Trey Murphy III is not LeBron, he’s still immensely valuable to the Pelicans organization. Considering their Zion-shaped uncertainty, they value Trey to be a core member of the team going forward. NBA insider Jake Fischer reported, “Sources say that the Warriors have a strong affinity for Murphy and have made outreach to New Orleans as recently as this summer. Yet sources say that the Pelicans, to be clear, have batted away calls for the 25-year-old, valuing him highly.” 

Moreover, Murphy’s contract poses additional issues for the Warriors.

The Pelicans star is currently earning $25M every year, so the only plausible way to get him would be through a sign-and-trade with Kuminga involved. But considering NOLA’s valuation of him, the draft capital required would be way too steep for GSW. Although, to be honest, it would be worth it for the Dubs.

Even though LBJ’s future in the Lakers has been confirmed by the GM, the rumors (and the hope) just won’t stop flowing. Let’s find out exactly what’s going on, and what LeBron’s camp has to say about all of it.

NBA insider points at the Warriors as a possible candidate for LeBron

Rob Pelinka said it would be great if LeBron were to retire with the Lakers, right? Technically, that statement should’ve put all the rumors to rest. However, there’s been some talk about LA wanting Bron’s contract off their books after this season, and that the 40-year old superstar is straying further and further away from the team. So obviously, the rumors won’t stop.

But according to NBA insider Jake Fischer, all of this is good news for the Dubs nation. “As long as LeBron James’ future in Los Angeles remains uncertain, Golden State will undoubtedly be mentioned as a potential James suitor.” Fischer said in “The Stern Line” on August 22nd. And it makes sense. If the Lakers organization is willing to let go of the six-foot-nine forward, the Bay would be the perfect destination for him.

LeBron, for the last few years, hasn’t hid the fact that he wants to play with Steph Curry. Their chemistry during the 2024 Olympics was a sight worth witnessing, and it lit a fire inside Warriors fans. Suddenly, their dreams could come true, and they almost did last year! At the 2024 trade deadline, the Lakers would’ve ‘reluctantly entertained trade talks’ with GSW if LeBron wanted them to as per Marc Stein.

However, it was Rich Paul, CEO of Klutch Sports Group, that put an end to these conversations. To be fair, Paul had a solid reasoning behind it. “Sources say Paul implored both teams to scrap the concept … largely because he wanted to insulate James from potential backlash over switching teams for the fourth time in his career.” As LeBron’s long-time agent and friend, he saw the backlash from ‘The Decision’ and wanted nothing to do with it!

One of the only demerit points for LBJ in his career was moving away from Cleveland in 2010, and yet again in 2018. The narrative around Bron is that when times get tough, he switches teams. It has hurt his resume for the GOAT debate, and is brought up every time he gets compared with MJ.

So, it’s completely fair for Rich Paul to want to avoid another switch. And even though we’d love to see Steph and Bron play together, our dream might be too far from reality.