Team USA fulfilled every wild imagination and deepest desire of hoops fans when an eagerly awaited collaboration happened – LeBron James and Stephen Curry. Of course, the Dream Team 2.0 was epic in itself. But a special Steph-Bron linkup was the highlight of it, hands down! And the pair didn’t disappoint. Pick-and-roll after pick-and-roll in the Finals against France is just an example of one of the many fine moments the duo gifted us, and are we going to forget them? Probably never.
However, it was short-lived and everyone, including the men in question, had to get back to reality. And there they were opponents. All the strengths that the two greats played off of each other will turn out to be massive headaches to look out for. But does it have to be so? ESPN insider Bobby Marks believes it doesn’t have to be so.
Joining Malika Andrews on NBA Today, the veteran analyst claims there is a chance, if they want it, for a season of blinding greatness like we have never seen before. “I’m telling you, there’s a chance.” How so? “The big thing is to keep an eye on maybe the summer of 2026 … when both could be free agents.”
Naturally, there is going to be a catch. And here, it comes at a cost to LeBron James. More specifically, a $50+ million cost.
LeBron James could, but will he?
This year’s off-season had a line of elite free agents. From the ‘King’ himself to 9x All-Star forward, Paul George, it was insane. Naturally, James could have chosen any team in the NBA and they would welcome him with open hands, we assume. But for reasons discussed many times over, the 20x All-Star decided to stay back.
His contract? A 2-year, $104 million deal with a player option in the 2025-26 season, no-trade clause, and 15% (max.) trade kicker. So, per Bobby Marks, the player option next season easily gives the man control over where he wants to go (the above 2-year deal basically leaves him in complete control). But here’s the catch.
“That comes with probably leaving $50 million on the table to go to a team like Golden State and join Steph Curry,” the former assistant GM of the Brooklyn Nets pointed out. After yet another disappointing front-office off-season (despite Bron’s willingness to take a pay cut), the immediate chatter was the all-time scorer would switch teams if the 2024-25 season did not measure up.
via Reuters
If we are going with that storyline, then yes, Bobby Marks could be right.
But both the legends are at a stage in their career where they would love to bring another title to their respective franchises. If not that, they’d love to retire a Laker and Warrior, respectively.
Before we leave you, here’s a reminder of what Steph Curry had to say before the Olympics about sharing the court with Bron. “To have LeBron as a teammate is surreal. Because you have so many battles back and forth, you admire his game, you know what he’s about, and to see the work up close and personal every day, to see how he prepares, how he talks in practice, I’ve never had that vantage point of him,” he told Yahoo Sports’ Vincent Goodwill.
So, with their Team USA stint in Paris, they’ve proved that they can function in tandem without affecting the team’s scoring balance. That’s because on the days the Splash Brother had a bad game, Anthony Edwards, Kevin Durant, or Devin Booker picked up the pieces and led the offensive effort. But how much of this NBA teammate craze becomes a reality is very much up for debate.
And debates are what we do best, don’t we? So what are you waiting for? Tell us what you think of LeBron as a Warrior.
