The Golden State Warriors have had a disappointing season thus far, but they have been better since the trade deadline.
Of course, the Warriors pulled off a blockbuster trade at the deadline with the Miami Heat to acquire Jimmy Butler. Butler had demanded a trade from the Heat earlier in the season and Miami honored his request by sending him to Golden State.
Since acquiring Butler, the Warriors have improved. Despite this, they are still barely holding onto a Play-In spot in the Western Conference, but they could have been a true contender if they had been able to pull off two trades that they reportedly tried to make.
According to Hoops Wire’s Sam Amico, the Warriors tried to acquire both LeBron James from the Los Angeles Lakers and Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns at the trade deadline this season.
Warriors Tried To Acquire LeBron James And Kevin Durant At Same Time Before Trading For Jimmy Butler https://t.co/Lkl0mRMWI0
— Sam Amico (@AmicoHoops) February 20, 2025
It was reported last season that Golden State was desperately trying to pair James with their superstar point guard Stephen Curry, but the Lakers were unwilling to trade James away. According to Amico’s report, they tried to do the same thing this season, but received the same result as LeBron remains in Los Angeles.
For Durant, it was reported ahead of the trade deadline that the Suns were listening to offers for him. The Warriors were the main team interested in acquiring the 36-year-old superstar, but he did not want to be traded in the middle of the season, which led to the Sun keeping him.
While the Warriors were unable to land either James or Durant, they were still able to acquire another star player to pair alongside Curry in Butler. Despite this, if the Warriors had been able to pull off two trades, they would have been an immediate contender this season.
Of course, Curry and Durant won two championships together with the Warriors and the trio of Durant, Curry and James helped Team USA win a gold medal in the Paris Olympics.
Golden State clearly wanted to pair the legendary trio up on the same team but failed to do so. They will now hope that Butler can help them become a title contender once again.
