The rivalry between Stephen Curry and LeBron James was at its peak from 2015 to 2018, with four straight Finals and an outcome that favored the Bay Area. But do you know what all that led to? Genuine friendship. Now LeBron James is a free agent for the first time since 2018, and the Golden State Warriors are reportedly chasing him. Meanwhile, the Baby-Faced Assassin revealed that he still looks forward to playing him, just not on the court.

“I’d say more so I’m interested to just play golf with LeBron,” Curry told Keith Jouganatos. “We handle the basketball stuff, but I want to see the Golf-LeBron free agent. He’s out here really grinding on the game, but I’m sure we, obviously, would love to play together. Hopefully it happens, but he deserves the opportunity and the right to take his time with the decision.”

At the time of the question, Curry was playing at a celebrity golf tournament in Stateline, Nevada, near Lake Tahoe. This wasn’t the first time he was asked about James at the golf course. The Warriors veteran also spoke to the San Francisco Chronicle, revealing that “we’ve obviously talked.”

“I would love to play with him, and hopefully that will be a reality soon,” Curry reiterated.

Addressing the golf bit first, no, Curry and James have never played a round together. However, both legends enjoy the game as a hobby in their free time. In recent years, though, the Warriors veteran has started taking his swing pretty seriously. He became the first active professional athlete to win the American Century Championship since 2000 by holing an 18-foot putt for eagle on the 54th and final hole back in 2023.

On the other hand, James hasn’t won a competitive golf tournament yet, but he has increased the number of times he visits the course. James’ agent, Rich Paul, also mentioned golfing with him in the offseason, while keeping the NBA talk aside until he feels ready. Just last month, the Lakers legend posted a clip of himself sinking a chip shot outside a sand bunker for a birdie. He burst with joy after the shot, like he’d sunk a buzzer-beater.

“Oh my goodness, holy s***,” James said. “Come on!”

It goes without saying that we’d love to see the two legends unite on the green, but before that, the hope for a Steph-LeBron reunion on the court still persists. And the Warriors’ sharpshooter made it clear that he trusts the front office to build a contender, whether they trade for James or not.

“They know how I feel,” Curry said of Golden State’s management. “They’re always trying to win. It’s very unique circumstances right now, and it always goes back to timing and how many guys are available, especially at the top of the salary cap. I don’t know what kind of creative ways we can continue to get better if LeBron doesn’t come or whatever, but we’ll figure it out.”

Curry in favor of teaming up with James makes absolute sense if one thinks back to the 2024 Paris Olympics, where James played alongside him and Anthony Davis under Steve Kerr. The Akron Hammer openly said that the combination “felt effortless” because they “play basketball the right way.” But turning Olympic chemistry into a real NBA deal is a challenge, and right now, the Warriors are hitting walls on several fronts.

Per ESPN’s Anthony Slater, while Golden State has received indications from James’ camp that they remain on his short list, team sources have recently expressed doubt that they’re at the top of it.

That’s consistent with what Shams Charania told Stephen A. Smith: “The teams that keep popping up for me when I’m talking to teams are Cleveland, Miami, and Philly. It was Golden State at various points, and it still could.”

Kalshi odds currently give the Warriors only a 15% chance to land LeBron, behind the Cleveland Cavaliers at 49%, Miami Heat at 18%, and the 76ers at 16%. The reason the Dubs’ odds are so low is that their best chance to acquire James depends on first trading for Davis, and that trade is currently stalled.

Charania laid out the plan, saying, “The Warriors’ whole plan going into free agency was, ‘OK, let’s see if we can [get] Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, LeBron James and Anthony Davis.’ Short of that, I don’t think the Warriors are up on that list.”

Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports also confirmed the two-step plan. Trade AD from Washington, then use his arrival to convince LeBron to sign. The sticking point, though, is Washington. The Wizards are asking for Jimmy Butler (who is recovering from ACL surgery and has publicly said he wants to stay in Golden State), multiple first-round picks, and multiple pick swaps.

There are further complications as well…

LeBron has not met with any team directly, assigning Rich Paul to negotiate on his behalf. The Warriors can only offer LeBron the $15.1 million non-taxpayer midlevel exception, a significant drop from what he was making in LA. Draymond Green has declined his player option and indicated he’s willing to take a discount on a new deal to help create flexibility.

But even with that, Golden State’s offer to LeBron barely moves the needle financially compared to what Cleveland (by moving a salary) or Philadelphia could structure. Paul’s famous whiteboard presentation also included New York, Denver, and the Spurs as potential destinations. If the Davis trade fails and LeBron goes elsewhere, the Dubs’ fallback is reportedly DeMar DeRozan, who the Sacramento Kings recently released.

It all comes down to one thing: LeBron’s go-ahead, something that he hasn’t given yet.