The NBA’s boldest dream is being sketched out: Stephen Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and LeBron James all wearing Golden State Warriors uniforms. While this sounds like science fiction, reporting from Jake Fischer of The Stein Line confirms the Warriors not only plan to pursue Giannis this summer but are also prepared to explore uniting LeBron with Curry once “The King” becomes an unrestricted free agent on June 30.
However, the biggest question isn’t “do they want to?” but rather “can they afford to?”.
Scenario 1: LeBron “Sacrifices” with a Mid-Level Exception ($15.4M)
Assuming the Warriors:
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Trade Jimmy Butler + a haul of draft picks to Milwaukee for Giannis.
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Decline Jonathan Kuminga’s $24.3 million team option to clear his salary.
At that point, the Warriors’ payroll would be far above the projected salary cap ($166M) but still below the “First Apron” ($210.7M). The only way to sign LeBron would be using the Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception — a 1-year, $15.4 million contract.
This is a drastically reduced salary compared to LeBron’s true value (~$50M/year) and would mean the Warriors forfeit the chance to re-sign De’Anthony Melton.
Scenario 2: A Sign-and-Trade with the Lakers — More Complex but More Plausible
The Warriors would:
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Exercise Kuminga’s team option to use him as a trade asset.
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Propose a package of Kuminga, Buddy Hield, and 1 first-round pick to the Lakers for LeBron via sign-and-trade.
This deal would “hard-cap” the Warriors at the First Apron ($210.7M). After accounting for Curry (~$62.6M) and Giannis (~$58.5M), the maximum they could offer LeBron is ~$31.9 million — still significantly below his market value.
The Key Variable: Draymond Green. If Green declines his 2026 player option ($27.7M) and re-signs on a cheaper one-year deal (e.g., ~$19.6M), the Warriors could increase LeBron’s salary to around $40 million.
The Roster-Building Conundrum
Either way, fielding this superstar trio would almost completely drain the Warriors’ financial flexibility. The rest of the roster would have to be filled with veteran minimum contracts. They wouldn’t even have the “Mid-Level Exception” to attract ring-chasing veterans.
Conclusion: A Prohibitively Expensive Dream
Theoretically, the Warriors could create the financial space to acquire both Giannis and LeBron, but under near-impossible conditions:
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The Bucks agree to trade Giannis.
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LeBron James accepts a pay cut of at least $10-20 million per year.
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Draymond Green sacrifices salary to create more space (in the sign-and-trade scenario).
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The rest of the roster is built exclusively on bargain contracts.
This is an exceedingly ambitious plan, reflecting the Warriors’ extreme “win-now” philosophy. But in an era of increasingly stringent salary cap rules, the dream of a Curry-Giannis-LeBron trio likely remains more of a bold thought experiment than a feasible blueprint. The summer of 2026 promises to be a dramatic offseason, whether this dream becomes reality or not.