The Warriors’ potential pursuit of Anthony Davis reportedly hinges on LeBron James, as Golden State would only seriously pursue AD if LeBron and Rich Paul signaled he would join them afterward.
The Golden State Warriors have been linked with Anthony Davis as a potential blockbuster trade target, but any serious pursuit appears to be tied directly to LeBron James’ free agency decision.
Position
C
Age
33
Height
208 cm
Weight
115 kg
Birth place
Chicago, United States of America
According to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints, the Warriors have had conversations about Davis, but nothing has advanced to the serious stage.
Wizards not interested in trading Anthony Davis
The first major obstacle is Washington’s position.
“The Wizards do not have interest in trading him,” Siegel said on the Clutch Scoops podcast.
According to Siegel, Washington sees AD as part of its roster plan for the 2026-27 season.
“They envision him being a part of their roster for the 2026-27 season to not only be a mentor to [Alex] Sarr in that frontcourt and the young players in Washington, but to help this team take that next step and make the playoffs.”
That makes a potential Warriors pursuit complicated from the start.
Credit Getty Images via AFP – Scanpix
Warriors would face high asking price for Davis
Even if the Warriors decided to pursue Davis, the cost would be significant.
“If you’re a team like the Warriors, it’s going to be a high asking price for the Wizards,” Siegel said.
The package could require Golden State to give up major assets, including veteran salary, young talent, and draft capital.
“Are you willing to give up not only Jimmy Butler but multiple first-round picks?”
“Would you be willing to part with a guy, maybe like Brandin Podziemski, to go out and get Anthony Davis?”
Siegel suggested the Warriors could be willing to consider that level of package, but only under one major condition.
“I think that the answer would be yes, but it comes with an asterisk.”
LeBron James condition changes Warriors’ Davis pursuit
The key condition is LeBron James.
According to Siegel, Golden State would only seriously push for Davis if it knew LeBron would also join the team.
“The only way that they would do that is if they were guaranteed to get LeBron.”
That makes the Davis situation less of a standalone trade chase and more of a two-star scenario.
Credit USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con – Scanpix
The Warriors would not be simply trading for Davis; they would be trying to create a package that convinces LeBron and Rich Paul that Golden State is the right destination.
“If the Warriors do get in the mix for Anthony Davis and they look to pursue him heavily and those reports come out, it would mean that LeBron and Rich Paul have signaled to them that they would join if they went out and got Anthony Davis.”
However, that signal has not arrived yet.
“To this point, that hasn’t happened.”
Warriors have talked, but no serious Davis talks yet
For now, the Warriors’ interest has not reached an advanced stage.
“They haven’t had serious conversations with the Wizards, they’ve just had conversations,” Siegel noted.
“Nothing that has advanced to my understanding, and so we’re just kind of in a waiting game to see what happens here, and it’s all tied in to LeBron’s decision.”
That leaves Golden State in a holding pattern.
Credit Getty Images via AFP – Scanpix
AD’s contract expectations add another layer
There is also a financial element to the situation.
“Anthony Davis and Rich Paul want to get paid. They want a long-term commitment, and they want to lock him in at the end of his career to get that one big final payday,” Siegel added.
Davis remains one of the NBA’s top frontcourt players when healthy, but his injury history is a risk for any team considering a massive investment.
“When Anthony Davis is healthy, sure, he can play like a max player. But the problem is he hasn’t been healthy, and he really has never been healthy throughout his career.”
For the Warriors, that makes the decision even bigger. Trading for Davis could require Jimmy Butler, multiple first-round picks, other draft capital, and possibly Brandin Podziemski – while also committing to Davis long-term.
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