On August 19, Beijing time, Marc Stein reported the inside story of Janku's team-up, and agent Rich Paul had a significant impact on James' failure to go to the Warriors last season. Stein revealed that Rich Paul did his best to stop the negotiations between the Warriors and the Lakers, and firmly opposed James leaving the Lakers to join the Warriors, and he didn't want James to change teams for the fourth time.

"Negotiations between the two teams [Lakers and Warriors] never made significant progress, largely because James' agent, Rich Paul, was adamantly opposed to the idea of James traveling from Southern California to Northern California, according to league sources," Stein said in the report. Although the Warriors' Joe Lacob and the Lakers' Jenny Buss had some conversation between the owners, and Green was lobbying James to come to the Bay Area, Rich Paul pleaded with both teams to abandon the idea, mainly because he wanted James to avoid the negative impact of changing teams for the fourth time in his career. ”

If James wears the Warriors jersey, although it has contributed to the cooperation of Janku in the hearts of many fans, it is bound to attract criticism. After all, James' Cavaliers have faced the Warriors four times in the Finals, and since then, he has also played the Warriors in the playoffs in the 2022-23 season as a member of the Lakers. Three team changes have become a slot for James in the eyes of some, and if he changes teams again, as Paul fears, it should bring some negative comments.

James and Curry played side by side at the Olympics to win five consecutive Olympic championships for the United States men's basketball team. But back in the NBA, neither now looks likely to leave their respective teams. James has signed a contract extension with the Lakers, and his son Bronny is also on this team, so he has no reason to leave.

The Warriors reshaped their roster after Klay's departure, and Stein said the team believes they are in a good position to potentially continue to upgrade their roster next year.

"The Golden State Warriors are planning their next move after the offseason trade to pursue George and Markkanen failed," Stein wrote, "Team executives believe they still have the ability to trade upgrades sometime next year after bringing in Kyle, Hield and Melton to replace the departing Klay." The Clippers and Jazz did have conversations with the Warriors at the time, but they didn't really want to do business with the Warriors. ”

In the 2023-24 season, the Lakers are 47-35 and were eliminated 4-1 by the Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs. The Warriors are 46-36 and failed to qualify for the playoffs. How far can the two teams go in the new season? Let's wait and see.