LeBron James and Stephen Curry checked a major item off of their basketball bucket lists this offseason when they linked up for Team USA and won gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics. After facing off in the NBA Finals four times, the two defining superstars of this era had long spoken of a desire to play together, and now, they've done so with extremely high stakes. Both shined as teammates. James was named the Olympic tournament's MVP, while Curry's clutch shooting saved the day in tight medal-round matchups against Serbia and France.
So successful were the two of them that fans are hoping there's a chance for a sequel in the NBA. On Monday, however, James said that he has "no idea" if he'll ever partner up with Curry again. Sure, there are All-Star Games, but the odds are certainly working against them ever playing any more high-stakes games together.
James, the Lakers star, will turn 40 this season and has spoken openly about his desire to retire with the Los Angeles Lakers. Curry is 36 and has never played for any team besides the Golden State Warriors. Neither will be in the NBA for too much longer, and neither appears likely to move in the near future. James can become a free agent after the 2024-25 season, but the Warriors, at least based on their current salary cap outlook, can only afford to pay him the mid-level exception. More likely, given the expected cost of re-signing Jonathan Kuminga, he would be looking at a minimum-salary deal.
The Warriors tried to trade for James at last year's deadline, but James informed the Lakers he would prefer not to be traded. The Lakers and Warriors could potentially revisit trade talks this season, but the new, stricter salary-matching rules enforced by the 2023 CBA that begin this season would make such a deal significantly more difficult. The Lakers are hard-capped at the second apron, which they are just barely below, and the Warriors are hard-capped at the first apron, which they are also just barely below.
They'd need to find a third team to help make the money work before even getting into the basketball side of the equation.
Never say never in the NBA. Far stranger things have happened. But given how old the two of them are, fans are lucky to have even seen James and Curry play an Olympic run together. The odds of them renewing the partnership in the NBA appear very slim.
