Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob recently responded to rumors that Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has been trying to recruit Stephen Curry to the Lakers for several months.
“Look, Steph Curry, if he really wanted to leave at the end of his contract, he’s a free agent, he’s earned the right, he can do it,” Lacob told Tim Kawakami of The Athletic. “I said that with Kevin Durant. I’m still friends with Kevin Durant and I still really like him. And I will always love him for what he did for this franchise. By the way, he took less money when he was here. He really helped us. We were able to get a couple of other players. … Players don’t usually do that and he did that. So I have great respect and admiration for that for Kevin. And I would for Steph no matter what he does, too. He’s done a lot for us, we’ve done a lot for him.
“I’m certainly not worried about the guy you mentioned recruiting him. I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
Curry is under contract with the Warriors for one more season until he becomes an unrestricted free agent. He has spent his entire 12-year career with Golden State and has become the face of the franchise, leading the team to three NBA titles.
Curry and James joining forces would be an uncomfortable sight for many fans around the league, as the two players are still considered to be amongst the most dominant in the NBA. The two players faced off in the NBA Finals for four consecutive seasons back when James was with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Curry, 33, still has plenty in the tank. He is coming off of a 2020-21 campaign in which he willed the Warriors to a winning season. He averaged 32.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game in the regular season. He also shot the ball at an absurd 42.1 percent clip from 3-point range.
Only time will tell if he ultimately ends up with the Purple and Gold.
