Wild Lakers trade offer for Stephen Curry if he requests a trade

The Los Angeles Lakers have had a quiet offseason, only making additions in the draft. While the front office has been quiet, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Stephen Curry have put on a show for Team USA.

The trio of stars have been walking around together after practices and games. They have clearly been happy to play together for the upcoming Olympics.

The lob in the first exhibition game from Curry to LeBron was all over social media. After the game, they spoke highly of each other in a joint postgame interview.

ICONIC LOB https://t.co/te0N1DeAe5 pic.twitter.com/yCYWok6q4R

— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) July 11, 2024

Curry is the greatest shooter of all time and has spent his entire career with the Warriors. It’s highly unlikely that he would request a trade from the organization with which he has won four titles. However, if Curry requested a trade, joining LeBron and AD on the Lakers would likely be at the top of his destination list.

With that in mind, let’s dive into a wild Lakers trade offer for Curry if he requests a trade.

Shop MATTHATT CO. for custom hats and more

Lakers Stephen Curry trade offer

Warriors receive: Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, Jalen Hood-Schifino, a 2029 first-round pick (via LAL), and a 2031 first-round pick (via LAL)

Lakers receive: Stephen Curry and Malik Beasley

Pistons receive: Gabe Vincent, a 2025 second-round pick (via LAL), and a 2030 second-round pick swap (via LAL)

This is a wild offer with many moving pieces, so let’s break it down for each team. The Warriors are parting with their franchise player but getting a good return.

Reaves, alongside Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski, can be building blocks in a rebuild. Hachimura could also grow with that core, while Hood-Schifino could develop as a young guard in their system. Russell is on an expiring contract and could be rerouted if they find an interested team.

Golden State would also land the Lakers first-round picks in 2029 and 2031.

The Detroit Pistons helped facilitate this deal by taking on Gabe Vincent’s contract. Vincent has two-years and $22.5 million remaining on his contract. Detroit could try to flip Vincent to another team if his value goes up during the season.

The Pistons would acquire LA’s second-round pick in 2025 and a second-round pick swap in 2030 while sending Beasley to the Lakers.

This is a haul to give up, but the LakeShow would have a trio of superstars.

You just KNOW these two wanna team up in the league SO BAD 😩 pic.twitter.com/EzrV2gWPyZ

— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) July 11, 2024

Lakers establish the best big three in basketball

Acquiring Curry would give the Lakers the best big three in the league. Curry’s elite shooting and scoring ability would fit exceptionally well with James and Davis.

Losing Reaves would be difficult for fans and the organization, but they would have to make the tough decision to acquire a player of Curry’s caliber.

Curry averaged 26/5/5 on 45/41/92 shooting splits this past season. He puts a ton of pressure on the defense, which will take pressure off James and Davis.

Rookie head coach JJ Redick plans to emphasize three-point shooting. With Curry on the roster, he would be the ultimate shooter for designing a system around.

This trade does get rid of a lot of depth, so let’s break down what a rotation would look like if LA enters the season with this roster.

Starting Five:

PG: Stephen Curry

SG: Max Christie

SF: LeBron James

PF: Jarred Vanderbilt

C: Anthony Davis

Bench:

G/F Dalton Knecht

G Malik Beasley

F/C Christian Wood

C Jaxson Hayes

G/F Cam Reddish

G/F Maxwell Lewis

G Bronny James

Lineup Breakdown

The Purple and Gold’s starting five would be a blend of offense and defense. The big three would carry the offensive load, with Davis also anchoring the paint on defense. Having Christie and Vanderbilt in the lineup, two impactful defenders, would round out a quality starting five.

Christie could also make an impact on the offensive end, as he is a solid three-point shooter and has great athleticism.

Vanderbilt’s key offensive contribution is offensive rebounding, and in Redick’s system, he could be used more off-the-ball as a screener and cutter.

The bench is where the rotation gets difficult. Knecht projects to be an impactful rookie as a three-point shooter. They would also acquire Beasley, another shooter, who struggled his first time in LA but could have a bigger impact in Redick’s system.

Hayes and Wood would get minutes as the backup bigs, and Reddish, who showed flashes but wasn’t consistent last season, would get rotational minutes.

However, the Lakers would have some open roster spots after shipping out multiple players. They could add some pieces to round out the rotation on minimum deals.

Dalton Knecht has been quietly putting on a show for the Lakers ⭐️

Last 4 games:

20 PTS | 7 REB | 1 AST
19 PTS | 3 REB | 2 AST
25 PTS | 6 REB | 4 AST
20 PTS | 9 REB | 1 AST pic.twitter.com/VBVf7IZHvh

— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) July 19, 2024

Adding around the edges

Rob Pelinka and the front office could add role players in free agency to fill out the rotation. The Lakers could bring back Spencer Dinwiddie to fill the backup point guard spot.

Dinwiddie was a solid defensive guard for LA last season, averaging 7/2/2 on 40/39/88 shooting splits. Dinwiddie’s solid two-way play would be impactful as the bench point guard.

They would then be targeting a forward for their bench unit. Adding a 3&D veteran like Robert Covington, Marcus Morris, or Jae Crowder on a minimum could be a good signing.

The Lakers could keep their final roster spot open for an addition on the buyout market.

Final thoughts

We acknowledge that a trade for Curry is highly unrealistic. It would require Curry to request a trade, as the Warriors likely wouldn’t move him without his permission.

However, if Curry did request a trade, the Warriors would likely honor his destination list, given his significant contributions to the franchise. If he had the Lakers as the top destination, they could offer a haul to acquire him.

The Lakers would instantly be a title contender, but the front office would need to add around the edges to complete their rotation.

A trio of James, Davis, and Curry would be fun to watch, with plenty of highlights to come every night.