Stephen Made a Strange Statement About a Possible Steph-LeBron Pairing originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Stephen A. Smith has strong opinions on LeBron James hypothetically joining Steph Curry and warriors.
The ESPN analyst explained why he wouldn’t want to see the Olympic teammates together in San Francisco.
“As a fan, visually speaking, LeBron with Steph Curry would be special,” Smith said on Tuesday’s “First Take.” “I have no doubt…I don’t want to see it because LeBron James doesn’t deserve it, absolutely not. LeBron James doesn’t deserve to be with Steph Curry, here’s why: stay over there in LA . You won a championship in the bubble, I understand that the following year you lost the first round.
“We’re so captivated by the greatness of LeBron James, the individual player, and he’s on the Mount Rushmore of all time, I get it. No shade there. But we are so captivated by the greatness of a player that we don’t pay enough attention to the power of his influence and the moves he is forced to make that serve to derail a franchise like he did in Los Angeles. No, you can’t leave this and go to Golden State. Stay there in Southern California with Anthony Davis and find out.
While Golden State contacted the Los Angeles Lakers about a trade last season, James reportedly had no interest. Considering how well Curry and James meshed together while winning the gold medal for the American team In Paris, many around the league continue to speculate about the two sharing the court in the NBA.
With the NBA’s current salary cap and luxury tax structure, a trade would force Golden State to part with much of its young talent and future draft picks. Given that James has rejected previous trade overtures, it’s unlikely he’ll want to leave Los Angeles.
The Lakers are currently mired in a bad patch, going 3-7 over the last 10 games. Los Angeles won the 2020 NBA Finals in the Orlando Bubble but has only played in one Western Conference Final since. It remains to be seen whether growing frustration with persistent mediocrity will be enough. do James wanting his fourth NBA franchise.
For Smith, James leaving the Lakers in a state of disarray would be in poor taste, although Warriors fans would disagree.
