This feels like the 2004 Lakers all over again.
Remember when Karl Malone and Gary Payton joined Shaq and Kobe?
It’s almost the exact same script.
In 2003, Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak had to squeeze Karl Malone and Gary Payton into an incredibly tight cap situation.
Malone took the $1.5 million veteran MLE, sacrificing MASSIVE money just to create history.
Today, Mike Dunleavy Jr. is playing that exact same high-level chess.
Draymond Green opting out of his $27.6 million player option is the first domino. It’s designed specifically to drop the Warriors below the luxury tax aprons so they can legally hand LeBron James the $15.1 million non-taxpayer MLE.
LeBron would have to willingly leave tens of millions of dollars on the table, which is a massive ask.
While the Lakers signed both vets in free agency, the Warriors have to pull off an even more complex maneuver because LeBron and Anthony Davis are a package deal.
To get AD here, Golden State is looking at a massive trade framework, potentially anchoring the deal with Jimmy Butler's $56.8 million contract.
Then you look at how these guys actually fit on the floor.
Back in '04, the Lakers brought together four distinct Hall of Fame skill sets.
While they had to adjust to Phil Jackson’s Triangle Offense, the sheer talent alone carried them all the way to the NBA Finals.
For the Warriors, the X-and-O fit feels even more seamless.
Steph Curry is the ultimate off-ball mover, which pairs beautifully with LeBron's elite vision and basketball IQ.
On the other end, adding Anthony Davis alongside Draymond Green gives Golden State arguably the highest-IQ defensive backline in basketball history.
It solves their rim protection issues instantly and allows Steph and LeBron to conserve energy for the offensive end.
The Warriors are gambling on the highest possible basketball IQ ever assembled on one team.
But if LeBron and AD team up with Steph and Draymond, the average age of that core four is going to be 37.
And just like the Lakers 22 years ago, they’d be betting the franchise's immediate future on the hope that modern sports science can beat the brutal reality of an 82-game season.
This feels like the 2004 Lakers all over again.
Remember when Karl Malone and Gary Payton joined Shaq and Kobe?
It’s almost the exact same script.
In 2003, Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak had to squeeze Karl Malone and Gary Payton into an incredibly tight cap situation.
Malone took the $1.5 million veteran MLE, sacrificing MASSIVE money just to create history.
Today, Mike Dunleavy Jr. is playing that exact same high-level chess.
Draymond Green opting out of his $27.6 million player option is the first domino. It’s designed specifically to drop the Warriors below the luxury tax aprons so they can legally hand LeBron James the $15.1 million non-taxpayer MLE.
LeBron would have to willingly leave tens of millions of dollars on the table, which is a massive ask.
While the Lakers signed both vets in free agency, the Warriors have to pull off an even more complex maneuver because LeBron and Anthony Davis are a package deal.
To get AD here, Golden State is looking at a massive trade framework, potentially anchoring the deal with Jimmy Butler's $56.8 million contract.
Then you look at how these guys actually fit on the floor.
Back in '04, the Lakers brought together four distinct Hall of Fame skill sets.
While they had to adjust to Phil Jackson’s Triangle Offense, the sheer talent alone carried them all the way to the NBA Finals.
For the Warriors, the X-and-O fit feels even more seamless.
Steph Curry is the ultimate off-ball mover, which pairs beautifully with LeBron's elite vision and basketball IQ.
On the other end, adding Anthony Davis alongside Draymond Green gives Golden State arguably the highest-IQ defensive backline in basketball history.
It solves their rim protection issues instantly and allows Steph and LeBron to conserve energy for the offensive end.
The Warriors are gambling on the highest possible basketball IQ ever assembled on one team.
But if LeBron and AD team up with Steph and Draymond, the average age of that core four is going to be 37.
And just like the Lakers 22 years ago, they’d be betting the franchise's immediate future on the hope that modern sports science can beat the brutal reality of an 82-game season.
