Why Warriors’ reported plan to create an older, new ‘super team’ won’t work

On the eve of free agency opening, a report set the NBA world by storm. 

It now all of a sudden seems as if the distant rumor about LeBron James joining the Golden State Warriors has significant traction. It’s even possible Anthony Davis could join him for a California reunion, too. 

When there’s smoke, especially from the major NBA news breakers, there’s usually fire. But if this new super-team version of the Warriors is assembled, it’s far from the inevitable championship most felt existed the last time Golden State acquired a star of this magnitude (Kevin Durant). 

Draymond Green has now made this possible new super team a reality 

Adding more credence to possibility, Draymond Green opted out of his $27.6 million player option. By doing so, Green opened up the salary-cap flexibility for the Warriors to sign him back at a lower number, offer James the full $15.1 million non-taxpayer midlevel exception and even try to trade for Davis. 

However, Golden State’s plan to try to build a new Avengers squad around Steph Curry seems destined to fail. In fact, a lot about the history of the NBA and where the league is headed suggests it’s a fool’s errand. 

Steph Curry needs reliable youth around him 

Curry, 38, has what it takes when healthy — but he only played in 43 games last season. Though he posted his highest scoring average in three years of 26.6 with a 46.8% clip from the field and a 39.3% mark from three, Curry needs help to get the Warriors from the play-in tournament picture to NBA title contention, and Jimmy Butler won’t be available as he recovers from ACL surgery.

But even though James, 41, is playing at a historically high level for his age and Davis has potential to be a stud when on the court, they just aren’t the kind of assistance Curry needs. He needs youth. He needs younger legs to keep up with the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs in just the Western Conference alone, two teams with cores in their early-to-mid 20s and success already on the board. 

LeBron James would be asked to do even more on Warriors 

James averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 7.2 assist and shot 51.5% — solid numbers, but dips from his usual production and in only 60 games.

Could James fight off Father Time for one more season and duplicate his 2025-26 season in 2026-27? It’s never wise to dismiss the possibility, but it’s just as likely that he takes one more step back.

A team led by Curry and flanked by Green and Davis would require James to shoulder more of the offensive burden than when he’s sharing a court with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves on the Los Angeles Lakers. In LA, James can be the No. 3 scoring option. In Golden State, he’d be asked to be the No. 2. 

Anthony Davis’ availability is the biggest concern and wild card 

Davis is the youngest of these stars at 33, but he’s also the biggest injury concern, by far. He played in 20 games in Dallas before being traded to the Wizards, 51 the year before split between the Lakers and Mavericks and 42 in 2024-25. 

If Davis can’t stay healthy, Green again becomes the only adequate defender among the starters. 

History shows an older super team doesn’t work as well 

Multiple All-Stars and Hall of Famers playing together has been going on for as long as the league has existed. Most NBA champions have had several on their rosters. But the attempts to do this with older players is when it’s not worked. 

Fresh off back-to-back titles, the Rockets brought in Charles Barkley to pair him with Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler, and even later, Scotty Pippin joined them as well. They made it to one Western Conference Finals and never got out of the first round again with Barkley in the fold. 

Years later, the Lakers added Gary Payton and Karl Malone to a core that already enjoyed a three-peat. They made it to the Finals, but fell to a more balanced and younger Detroit Pistons team in five games. 

Even the Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen-assembled Celtics were only able to experience one truly healthy season as a trio, winning one championship and being derailed by James’ “Big 3” with the Heat. 

So while it’s nice the Warriors are thinking outside the box and being aggressive, they are creating a championship window that closed five years ago. 

Mike J. Asti

Mike Asti is an experienced media personality and journalist with a vast resume and skillset, most notably from time with TribLIVE Radio and WPXI-TV. Asti now serves as the Managing Editor of WV Sports Now, where he leads the coverage of WVU sports. He has also covered the Steelers, Penguins, Pirates and other teams within the Pittsburgh market