There are endless hypotheticals surrounding LeBron James and the Warriors.
While the four-time NBA MVP has yet to decide where to end his Hall of Fame career, some people can’t help but play with the “what ifs” of James and Steph Curry joining forces in the NBA.
If that were to happen, what would that team look like?
The answer could go two very different directions, depending if the team can stay healthy or not — perhaps the biggest if of them all.
Sports television host Max Kellerman presented the same question and concern to James’ agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, challenging the idea that age and availability could be an issue.
Paul played it straight.
“I don’t know about the speculation, but if we’re just talking strictly basketball, you don’t want to play them,” Paul said. “You definitely don’t want to play them in a playoff series healthy. You don’t want to get to a trade deadline and have little surface-level, around-the-edges type of moves made. You talk about just basketball brilliance of mind and experience and production — it’s pretty tough, Max.”
Kellerman also used one of Golden State’s most recent transactions this offseason, the two-year contract extension to Kristaps Porziņģis, who played just 32 games last season, including 15 with the Warriors once he was traded to Golden State in February.
Add that with Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody‘s respective severe injury recoveries, which both players are not expected to return to at least midway through the 2026-27 season, and the aging core of Butler, 36, Draymond Green, 36, and Curry, 38 — Kellerman has his reservations about adding 41-year-old James to that squad.
Both Kellerman and Paul agreed that the league is a “young man’s game,” but Kellerman isn’t so convinced by the “ifs,” agreeing that yes, if they could somehow all stay healthy, the Warriors would be a competitive team in the Western Conference, but he believes the realistic chances of that happening are low.
“I don’t know the odds and I don’t know the answers,” Paul responded. “All I know is when you look at it from a basketball perspective, if you look at all these scenarios, plugging and playing someone of the talent level that he is, just get through the 82 [games] and start the first round of the playoffs healthy. If there’s a capability of identifying in November or December what’s needed and then having the capacity or the expertise to be able to execute and fill those voids, where to come April and you’re looking at it and you’ve got a strong nine, you’ve got to like your chances against everybody.”
Paul added that James is taking his time with his decision and enjoying his free time with his family and friends.
And as expected, the wait continues.
