LeBron James has broken his silence on talks about a possible trade with the Warriors, revealing that he only found out about them when reports emerged in the media.
ESPN recently claimed that Golden State made an unsuccessful attempt to add James to the fold before last week’s NBA trade deadline.
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game, James said: “It didn’t go very far. In fact, I found out about it when everyone else was talking about it.
He said TNT: ‘Sometimes there are conversations behind closed doors that you don’t even know about.
‘And until I guess whether it’s real or not, then they’ll bring it to you. But it never reached me, so I also found out when the reports came.’
LeBron James broke his silence on talk of a possible move to Golden State
If he moved to the Warriors, James would have joined his old rival Stephen Curry (right)
It was claimed that Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. was not the only NBA executive to attack James, 39, last week.
Philadelphia’s Daryl Morey also made an offer for the Lakers captain but, according to ESPN, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka not only declined, but responded by asking Morey if he would be interested in trading reigning MVP Joel Embiid.
Morey also reportedly asked about the Suns’ Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, none of whom were available for Phoenix.
If he moved to the Warriors, James would have joined his old rival Stephen Curry in the Bay Area.
Sixers president Daryl Morey also reportedly made an unsuccessful attempt to land James.
James and Curry were already linked in the minds of NBA fans after facing each other in four consecutive NBA Finals from 2015 to 2018.
Curry’s Warriors won three in the series, while James’ Cleveland Cavaliers rallied from a 3-1 deficit to upset Golden State in 2016.
Since then, James 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.