Rich Paul traded LeBron James to the Warriors

Rich Paul brought a solid shift from trade speculation involving LeBron James and the Golden State Warriors during the latest episode of Game Over with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul, rescinding the proposal he would send Los Angeles Lakers Golden State star.

The discussion began when host Max Kellerman cited recent remarks by Bill Simmons, suggesting the financial framework could support a blockbuster deal. Kellerman spawned the scenario in which James would join the Warriors along with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, while Jimmy Butler III would head to Los Angeles.

“Bill Simmons said a few days ago … he said, look at how the numbers are doing,” Kellerman said. “LeBron and Steph have always said they want to play together. What about Jimmy Butler for LeBron James?”

Kellerman went on to argue that Butler’s defensive intensity and versatility could address the Lakers’ needs, while James and Curry would complement each other offensively in Golden State. He asked why such a trade would not be realistic.

Paul refused to engage in the hypothetical question and quickly ended the debate.

“Because I don’t like to get into it,” Paul said. “It won’t happen. So why are we talking about things that won’t happen.”

Rich Paul denies blocking previous trade talks between LeBron James and the Warriors

Paul too referenced previous speculation linking James to the Warriorsnoting that Green has publicly accused him of blocking a potential deal in the past. Paul rejected the claim and said he had never been involved in such discussions.

“First of all, Draymond wrongly accused me, I believe, wrongly accused me of stopping something earlier,” Paul said. “Because I’ve never done anything like that.”

Asked to clarify, Paul said the accusation stemmed from earlier trade negotiations involving the same teams and players.

James, who recently turned 41, continues to play a central role in Los Angeles. In 15 games this season, he is averaging 20.3 points, 6.5 assists, 4.9 rebounds and one steal per game, while shooting 49.6 percent from the field and 31.5 percent from three. He is logging 32.9 minutes per contest as the Lakers hold a 20-11 record and sit in fifth place in the Western Conference standings.

Curry, 36, remains Golden State’s focal point. In 30 games, he averaged 19.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 51.6 percent from the field and 41 percent from the field in 31.6 minutes per game. The Warriors enter the weekend at 18-16, which puts them in eighth place in the conference.

Paul characterized the trade chatter as “fantasy basketball” for now, noting that both stars will remain with their current teams. The The Lakers hosted the Memphis Grizzlies (15-18) on Friday night. at 10:30 PM ET, while the The Warriors host the Oklahoma City Thunder (5-29) at 10:00 PM ET on Prime Video.