LeBron James has broken his silence on talks over a possible trade to the Warriors, revealing that he only found out about them when reports emerged in the media.
ESPN recently claimed that Golden State made a failed bid to add James to the fold ahead of last week’s NBA trade deadline.
Speaking ahead of the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, James said: ‘It didn’t go far at all. I actually heard about it when everybody else talked about it.
He told TNT: ‘Sometimes there are conversations happening behind closed doors that you don’t even know about.
‘And until I guess if it’s real or not, then they’ll bring it to you. But it never even got to me so I heard about it when the reports dropped as well.’
LeBron James has broken his silence on talks over a possible trade to Golden State
A move to the Warriors would have seen James join his long-time rival Stephen Curry (right)
James’ agent, Rich Paul, insisted following the revelations that his client remains ‘committed’ to the purple and gold. ‘He’s committed to the Lakers,’ Paul said on the Stephen A. Smith Show .
‘(Owner) Jeanie (Buss) has been an incredible partner for him and us. And I think it’s important for that to be understood and to be respected. Obviously there’s ups and downs and emotions throughout the course of a season, but ultimately LeBron’s committed to the Lakers.’
It was claimed that Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. wasn’t the only NBA executive to make a run at the 39-year-old James last week.
Philadelphia’s Daryl Morey also made an offer for the Lakers captain but, according to ESPN, Lakers GM Rob Pelinka not only refused, but countered by asking Morey if he’d be interested in trading reigning MVP, Joel Embiid.
Morey also reportedly inquired about the Suns’ Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, none of whom were made available by Phoenix.
Sixers president Daryl Morey also reportedly made a failed attempt to land James
A move to the Warriors would have seen James join his long-time rival Stephen Curry by the Bay.
James and Curry were already tethered to each other in the minds of NBA fans after meeting in four consecutive NBA Finals from 2015 to 2018.
Curry’s Warriors won three of the series, while James’ Cleveland Cavaliers came back from a 3-1 deficit to stun Golden State in 2016.
Since then, James has won a title with the Lakers while Curry added his fourth crown in 2022 when the Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals.
This year, however, both James and Curry find themselves on the periphery of the Western Conference playoff picture.