"Bron’s 40 years old" - 4x NBA champion doubts LeBron James joining Steph Curry will make Warriors a superteam
Andre Iguodala expressed doubt that LeBron James joining Steph Curry on the Golden State Warriors would create a superteam, largely due to LeBron turning 40 later this year.
Iguadola was a key player in the Warriors' championship runs who had faced LeBron James during his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Speaking on his Point Forward podcast with Evan Turner, he said it would take a lot for a Curry-LeBron tandem to be considered a superteam.
“But Bron's 40 years old, so I'm not considering that a superteam. They got to get everything out of themselves, every ounce to get there,” Iguodala said.
Reflecting on the Warriors' previous superteam with Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, Iguodala mentioned that even when that team played poorly, they still managed to win.
“Our superteam was like, man, we can play B-minus we still gonna win. We can play C-plus we still gonna win,” he said.
Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz proposed a trade idea where the Warriors could match $51 million in salary by trading Jonathan Kuminga, Andrew Wiggins, Gary Payton II and Kevon Looney or using Chris Paul's expiring $30 million contract to facilitate acquiring LeBron James, who needs to decide on his player option for the upcoming season.
What benefit would LeBron James gain by declining his player option?
The James family is set for a significant summer with LeBron James potentially becoming a free agent and Bronny aiming for the 2024 NBA Draft.
Reports suggest LeBron is expected to decline his $51,415,938 player option for the 2024-25 season to become a free agent. By doing so, he could sign a projected three-year contract worth nearly $161.2 million with the Lakers.
By becoming an unrestricted free agent, LeBron can also sign with any NBA team, including the one that drafts his son, provided they have enough cap space to meet his demands.
Bronny's decision to enter the draft follows a challenging freshman season at the University of Southern California (USC), where he averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.
Despite facing challenges, including a cardiac arrest incident last summer, Bronny's draft stock has risen since the Draft Combine. ESPN ranks him as the 54th best prospect in this year's NBA Draft.
During the combine, Bronny impressed with his shooting accuracy, hitting 78 percent of his shots in the side-mid-side 3-point shooting drill and going 19-for-25 in the 3-point star drill, both ranking second best.
Opting out would also allow LeBron to secure a no-trade clause in an extension with the LA Lakers.