LeBron James to the Warriors suddenly doesn’t sound so crazy

The Golden State Warriors are reportedly trying to build the oldest super team in the history of the NBA. The Warriors are after both LeBron James and Anthony Davis this summer, and their grand plan is already in motion.

Draymond Green opted out of his $27.7 million player option on Monday, but he’s not going anywhere. Green will end up back in Golden State on a multi-year deal, but the opt out gives Golden State more flexibility to chase James and Davis, as ESPN insider Shams Charania reported. Here’s how it could all work out.

• The Warriors could trade Jimmy Butler and a future first-round pick to the Washington Wizards for Davis. Davis has two years, $121 million left on his contract, but his salary lines up nicely with Butler’s for the 1-for-1 swap.
• LeBron is an unrestricted free agent. The Warriors could offer him the mid-level exception of around $15 million if the team can dump Moses Moody and convince Draymond Green to take a pay cut.

Cap expert Yossi Gozlan laid it out here:

The Warriors’ plans were first reported by Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo! Sports.

Butler is recovering from a torn ACL, and is expected to be out until February or March. This would be incredible work by the Wizards to leverage Golden State for a future first-round pick for Davis, a player who doesn’t fit their timeline. If it happens, Washington’s buy-low deal for Davis at last year’s trade deadline will suddenly look brilliant.

A large part of this comes down to what LeBron wants. James has been comfortable playing for the Lakers, and could easily spend his final season with the team before riding off into the sunset. I’ve been pushing the idea of LeBron returning to Cleveland, which feels like the perfect setting for his retirement tour. I see the appeal of going to the Warriors, too. LeBron had a great experience playing with Steph Curry at the Paris Olympics, he’s spent most of his career trying to team up with other great players, and Golden State would probably give him the best chance of actually competing for a championship in his final season.

I actually think it’s going to happen. The Wizards will get a premium future draft pick for a player they don’t want, Davis will be freed from a hopeless situation in DC, and Butler eventually gets to choose his next team after getting bought out. LeBron and Steph together would be absolute cinema even at this stage of their career. If the Warriors could somehow find a way to bring back Kristaps Porzingis, I like it even more.

Green and LeBron would have to agree to pay cuts to make this happen, and that’s where things could fall apart. There’s also a chance James simply prefers to spend his final season in LA or Cleveland. It really feels like the Warriors’ plan is starting to take shape, though. I think it’s going to happen.

Would Golden State actually be a contender if they pull this off? They just seem way too old and too injury prone to make it through an 82-game regular season and then four playoff series. Doing so would require Davis to actually stay durable, which he’s never really done in his career. It would require James and Curry to avoid age-related decline or a freak injury that could end the Warriors’ chances immediately.

I’d still take the Thunder, Spurs, and Timberwolves over this Warriors team in the West, but if they could somehow make it to May healthy, you never know what could happen.