
Bill Simmons called for LeBron James and Kevin Durant to join the Warriors this offseason.
The Golden State Warriors have the potential to have an explosive offseason. First of all, they'll have to decide on Steve Kerr's future as head coach, and that will be a major factor no matter what the final conclusion is.
Then, there have been a number of reports over the past few months indicating that many different stars may be targeted by the Warriors, whether through free agency or trade.
There are only so many more quality seasons that Steph Curry has left at 38 years old, and with the "two timelines" idea largely a failure for the past half-decade for the Dubs, it might be a good change of pace for them to go all-in on the twilight years of Curry's career.
Bill Simmons Calls For Major Offseason Pickups For Warriors
NBA sportswriter and online presence Bill Simmons took to his podcast, The Bill Simmons Podcast, this week and made a call for the Warriors to put all their cards on the table for the next couple of seasons.
"I am all in on LeBron going to Golden State next year. Can I have Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson join him? Letâs go full 'Expendables,' and Golden State ends up with LeBron, Curry, Durant, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Al Horford ... Even I would be rooting for this team. First of all, every game they play (would be a) sellout. Couldnât be harder to get tickets. Half the fans (would be) rooting for the Warriors wherever they go. Steve Kerr comes back now. Two more years for him, and weâre off. Weâre ready to go."
It's a crazy idea that seems more akin to roster construction you'd see in a video game, but the latter part of Simmons' argument definitely has weight. This would likely be one of LeBron James' last seasons in the NBA, if not his finale, and the team-up between him, Durant, and Curry â the three best players of their era â would be unbelievable to see, not to mention the reunion of Curry, Thompson, Green, and Durant 8 years later.
It would also likely be the oldest team of all time by a wide margin, so the question would probably be less about how well they'd play together and more about how often they'd be able to play together. Of the 6 players that Simmons mentions, Green and Thompson are the youngest at 36 years old.
How Would The Warriors Acquire This Team?
The biggest obstacle to making this dream a reality, beyond the unlikeliness of the individual players all teaming up in Golden State, is the salary cap. The Warriors are currently $113 million over the cap, the most in the entire NBA.
For something like this to work, Durant would have to be acquired in a trade using Jimmy Butler's contract to match, since Durant is the one player who will not be a free agent.
Thompson technically also has one year left, but there have been reports that Thompson is looking to be traded or waived by the Mavericks. The Warriors would then be able to either match his contract in a trade or sign him for a veteran's minimum that fits under their salary restrictions if he gets waived.
James is set to be a free agent this summer once the Lakers' season comes to an end, and he'd likely also have to sign a veteran's minimum to make this work. However, knowing how successful this team would have the potential to be and how much money James has already made in his career, both on and off the court, a small contract in his last season shouldn't be an issue.
It's more than likely a pipe dream in all senses of the phrase, but it's an enticing one that would create absolute cinema in Golden State, one way or another.


