Grade the trade: Preposterous 4-team swap finally gives us Steph-LeBron pairing of our dreams

Last season, the Golden State Warriors quietly explored the possibility of trading for LeBron James. According to a recent report from league insider Marc Stein, Rich Paul — the Klutch Sports CEO and basketball's most influential agent — shut those talks down with a quickness. His motivation was simple: to preserve LeBron's legacy in the waning years of his career.

Sure, LeBron changing teams would have generated more than a few storylines. We would have to listen to the Skip Baylesses of the world bemoan James' fickle nature, his desire to chase rings instead of "earning" one with the Los Angeles Lakers. That would all be hogwash, of course, but we are nonetheless beholden to silly discourse in the NBA sphere. God forbid we have a normal conversation about great players on great teams every now and again.

James naturally inspires hot takes as the first real challenger to Michael Jordan's GOAT status. LeBron joining teams with Steph, arguably the second-greatest player of his generation, would only draw more ire in certain circles.

For those of us who enjoy fun and appreciate greatness, however, the idea of watching LeBron and Steph on the same court has been a joyful fantasy for years. The sort of hypothetical pairing you dream about at night. We almost had it, folks, and with it a chance to watch LeBron and Steph play meaningful postseason basketball again.

That window has closed on LeBron and Steph teaming up in Golden State, or anywhere, to be frank. But, after a stellar Olympics run together, the NBA fandom just can't quit the concept. It's a whole lot of fun to think about.

Over at Bleacher Report, Eric Pincus took on the monumental task of engineering a trade that would land Steph in Los Angeles. On LeBron's team. That is exceedingly far-fetched, of course, but hey, if the Warriors flame out and Steph gets restless without his fellow Splash Bro on the team... who can say?

This assuredly will never happen, but... what if it did?

Here are the full trade details. Let's attempt to grade it.

Lakers, Warriors, Nets, Pistons trade to pair Stephen Curry and LeBron James in LA

Lakers receive — Stephen Curry, Day'Ron Sharpe, Wendell Moore Jr., $3.9 million TPE
Warriors receive — Austin Reaves, Ben Simmons, 2029 first-round pick (LAL), 2031 first-round pick (LAL), $2.4 million TPE
Nets receive — D'Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, Jalen Hood-Schifino, $23.3 million TPE, $2.0 million TPE
Pistons receive — Dennis Schroder, Christian Wood, 2025 second-round pick (LAC), 2025 second-round pick (MIA), $4 million

Woof.

That is a real behemoth of a trade. It's hard to get deals across the finish line with so many moving parts, especially under the new collective bargaining agreement. These pesky tax aprons are going to restrict what front offices can accomplish and, more importantly, they will restrict what front offices want to accomplish.

The Lakers obviously win the trade, transforming a potpourri of role players and a couple valuable draft picks into the greatest shooter of all time. Steph is "old," but he's still a top-10 player at worst, capable of bending defenses to their breaking point before he ever touches the ball.

LeBron's playmaking IQ, combined with Steph's off-ball prowess, is borderline unfair. There aren't two players in the league better at manipulating a defense with their mind. Curry will never stop relocating, and the inverted pick-and-pops with LeBron would cause defensive meltdowns the likes of which we have never seen. If you thought the Steph-Draymond two-man game was potent, just wait. Don't get me started on the Anthony Davis dynamic.

The Warriors, meanwhile, are giving up their crown jewel, perhaps the greatest player in franchise history, for Austin Reaves, a facsimile of Ben Simmons, and two first-round picks. Even if Steph demands a trade and lists the Lakers as his only destination — even if the Warriors feel compelled to "do right" by Steph and send him to his preferred landing spot — it will require more on the Lakers' end. At the very least, some of those assets rerouted to other teams, such as D'Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura, would need to return value directly to Golden State.

Austin Reaves is cool, but we may be overstating his value a bit. Ben Simmons and Draymond Green in a post-Steph world is a bleak thought.

As for the Detroit Pistons, well, Detroit is essentially taking on a few second-round picks and $4 million in cash to operate as a receptacle for unwanted contracts. Dennis Schroder is a good vet to have on your team. Christian Wood, less so, but he can perhaps offer value as a stretch big with the second unit. The Pistons need more shooting, always.

The Brooklyn Nets somehow transform Ben Simmons, Day'Ron Sharpe, and scraps into 2-4 viable NBA players. Russell has a complicated reputation these days, but he averaged 18.0 points and 6.3 assists on .456/.415/.828 splits last season. He's not nothing, and he happens to have played the best basketball of his career in Brooklyn. That's a useful expiring contract to dangle in future trades, at the very least. Rui Hachimura, meanwhile, is a legitimate building block on the wing. Jalen Hood-Schifino, a 2023 first-round pick, might develop into the point guard Brooklyn so desperately needs.

The Nets are quiet winners here, leaping into the fray as a third-team facilitator and transforming their worst contract into useful pieces. The Lakers win outright with Steph, the Pistons are literally only gaining assets, and the Warriors... well, the Warriors would laugh Los Angeles off the phone. Golden State isn't parting with Steph for such a meager return. That is where this trade falls apart.

Lakers grade: A+
Warriors grade: F
Nets grade: A
Pistons grade: A