Golden (State) reunion?<\/p>\n
They already won an Olympic gold medal together. The mere concept of LeBron James and Stephen Curry playing together for an NBA championship is the stuff of ticket-selling, TV-viewership legend.<\/p>\n
With James being what many consider the best free agent in this class, the superstar will be at the center of nearly every phone call through the Lakers\u2019 El Segundo facility this summer. Between retirement, returning and relocating, James has plenty of choices for his future. Teams are starting to line up with their offers.<\/p>\n
Signaling what will be a frenetic week, Draymond Green opted out of his contract, ESPN reported Monday morning<\/a>, sending alarm bells across the league that the Warriors could be cooking up cap magic to potentially lure James to the Bay Area.<\/p>\n The idea was that with a restructured deal with Green, Golden State could offer the $15 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception to James. They could then try to pull off a trade to bring Anthony Davis for a \u201cBig 4.\u201d Eyeball emojis were wide open on the platform formerly known as Twitter.<\/p>\n But in this fast-paced league, that strategy barely survived the day after a Kristaps Porzingis extension<\/a> reported Monday afternoon made the mid-level exception math not impossible, but certainly more complicated<\/a>.<\/p>\n One NBA executive told my colleague Broderick Turner<\/a> that James could play for the Lakers on a one-year, $30-million deal if the team wants to offer that much. It would still be a significant pay cut from the $52.6 million James made last year.<\/p>\n The 41-year-old is already the first active NBA player to reach billionaire status, according to Forbes<\/a>. How much will a few million dollars matter to him?<\/p>\n During his twilight NBA years, James, according to the now-infamous statement to ESPN<\/a> from his agent Rich Paul last year, wants to prioritize winning. There\u2019s no guarantee that staying with the Lakers would make them the top team to overtake the San Antonio Spurs or Oklahoma City Thunder, but there is some proof of concept. Raise a mental banner for that 16-2, Luka-Austin-LeBron stretch.<\/p>\n In the West, at least, the top teams are trending young. The Thunder were the youngest team ever to win a title in 2025. The Spurs figure to be a championship contender for a long time behind Victor Wembanyama, 22, Stephon Castle, 21, and Dylan Harper, 20. The Timberwolves\u2019 controversial trade for LaMelo Ball in exchange for fan favorite Naz Reid to Charlotte also netted Minnesota one of the league\u2019s biggest young stars.<\/p>\n James, Davis, Curry and Green would be a star-studded zag toward experience when the rest of the league is zigging toward youth. The Warriors already flirted with \u201cThe Expendables\u201d ensemble strategy with Curry, Green, Al Horford and Jimmy Butler last year.<\/p>\n Sequels are rarely better than the original, and in this case, the original wasn\u2019t even that good.<\/p>\n By already agreeing to a four-year, $185-million deal with Austin Reaves<\/a>, the Lakers are getting close to running back their own roster. As expected, Deandre Ayton opted into his $8.1 million player option.<\/p>\n After the 27-year-old\u2019s up-and-down play last year, simply getting Ayton back will not stop questions regarding the Lakers\u2019 center position.<\/p>\n While watching a thrilling NBA Finals and the highly anticipated Western Conference finals showdown between the Spurs and Thunder, the league saw the importance of shooting. Free-agent sharpshooters Rui Hachimura and Luke Kennard are on the market, and defensive stopper Marcus Smart will leave a hole in the Lakers\u2019 roster after opting out. The 32-year-old guard greatly outplayed his $5.9-million option and is deserving of a multi-year deal.<\/p>\n When it came to his own future, James was vague at the end of the season. James\u2019 on-court influence could persist for years, whether in L.A. or somewhere else. But his decisions won\u2019t necessarily be his own.<\/p>\n James mentioned conversations with his family as important steps in the offseason process. Maybe just as important as the opportunity to chase a fifth championship is the chance for the father of three to fulfill his family responsibilities. <\/p>\n This month, James was celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the Cavaliers\u2019 championship with teammates, a trip that overlapped with Father\u2019s Day. When he returned, his daughter Zhuri handed him a handwritten golf-themed card<\/a>: \u201cYou are the best by par\u201d she wrote inside.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you retire,\u201d the page-long note James posted on Instagram read, \u201cI can\u2019t wait for you to be at all of my games like I was at yours.\u201d<\/p>\n James, he wrote on social media, instantly cried.<\/p>\n Rock the vote<\/p>\n Setting the LeBron James of it all aside, which unrestricted free agent would you most want to return to the Lakers next season? Slide into my inbox at thucnhi.nguyen@latimes.com<\/a> with your answer!<\/p>\n Favorite thing I ate this week Khinkali (Georgian soup dumplings) from Cheeseboat in Manhattan.<\/p>\n (Thuc Nhi Nguyen \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n I\u2019ve recently seen social media posts of people trying to eat food from as many countries as possible without leaving a single major city. I may adopt this as a new NBA road trip side quest, and we can now add Georgia to the travel menu.<\/p>\n While in New York City for the draft, I stopped at Cheeseboat, a family-run Georgian restaurant in the Hell\u2019s Kitchen area of Manhattan. It\u2019s named after Georgia\u2019s traditional khachapuri bread that is shaped like an open boat and filled with delicious melted cheese, but my favorite dish we had was the khinkali soup dumplings filled with ground beef, spices and herbs. I just love dumplings, and because you use your hands to eat them \u2014 picking them up by the little dough handle is advised \u2014 they\u2019re a little less fussy than the Chinese xiao long bao.<\/p>\n In case you missed it<\/p>\n Former Lakers Malik Beasley and Ed Davis accused of illegal gambling, wire fraud and money laundering<\/a><\/p>\n Who will sign with the Lakers? Updates on Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart, LeBron James and more<\/a><\/p>\n Swanson: You\u2019re up, Rob Pelinka. To avoid Ned Colletti\u2019s fate, the Lakers\u2019 GM has to deliver this offseason<\/a><\/p>\n Cameron Carr on Lakers acquiring him draft night: \u2018It didn\u2019t feel real\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Plaschke: Lakers\u2019 Austin Reaves needs to do more to earn his money<\/a><\/p>\n Lakers\u2019 Austin Reaves agrees to four-year, $185-million contract<\/a><\/p>\n Until next time…<\/p>\n As always, pass along your thoughts to me at thucnhi.nguyen@latimes.com<\/a>, and please consider subscribing<\/a> if you like our work!<\/p>\n \n
![\"Khinkali](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1782824778_915_.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n