The Warriors essentially have played a third of their regular-season schedule -- 27 of 82 games -- and currently sit atop the Western Conference standings with an 18-9 record. Stephen Curry recently returned from injury, Draymond Green will return Monday against the Timberwolves, and DeMarcus Cousins will add to the embarrassment of superstar riches on the active roster before long.
Suffice to say, Golden State remains a heavy favorite to reach a fifth consecutive NBA Finals.
In each of the last four instances, LeBron James awaited the Warriors on the other side. If they're to meet the King in the playoffs for a fifth consecutive season, it wont be with the league's ultimate prize on the line.
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James, of course, took his talents to Los Angeles in the offseason, and thus far he has provided the kind of lift to the Lakers' franchise that most expected. The Lakers sit 16-10 on the season (fifth in the West), winners of five of their last six games. And, according to reports, they could be further emboldening their roster soon.
The Lakers and the Suns recently have been engaged in trade discussions surrounding Phoenix forward Trevor Ariza, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Sunday, citing league sources.
Per the report, if the Suns are to part with Ariza, they desire a draft asset and a playmaking guard to pair alongside sharpshooter Devin Booker in exchange. The Lakers reportedly have reached out to other teams to help faciliate a potential three-team trade, with Los Angeles guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope rumored to be a centerpiece.
The timing of the report is not a coincidence, as players who signed in summer free agency -- such as Ariza -- are not eligible to be traded until this coming Saturday.
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors, of course, are extremely familiar with Ariza. He was a part of the Rockets team that pushed Golden State to the brink of elimination in the 2017 Western Conference finals. There was his run-in with Curry in the first round of the 2016 playoffs, in which he enraged the Warriors guard to a point we've rarely seen. Oh, and it was Ariza's knee that collided with Klay Thompson's head and concussed the Splash Brother in Game 5 of the 2015 Western Conference finals.
Ariza, who signed a one-year, $15 million contract with Phoenix this past summer, is averaging 9.7 points per game on 36.8 percent shooting from the field and 34.8 percent from 3-point range for the last-place Suns (4-22) so far this season. Those are modest numbers for the 15-year veteran, but based on the record of his previous team -- Houston is 11-14, second-worst in the West -- it's clear his presence has been missed.
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Ariza's track record over 102 career postseason games would be attractive to any team with its eyes set on contending, and the Lakers certainly qualify -- particularly so if they are successful in their pursuit of Ariza.
It hardly would be the first time a LeBron-led team added a quality veteran in the lead-up to a potential postseason matchup with the Warriors. The Cavaliers made a habit of adding veterans made available by buyout ahead of their four Finals meetings with Golden State, such as Deron Williams and Andrew Bogut. The Lakers already signed center Tyson Chandler after he was bought out by the Suns earlier in the season, and he's made an immediate impact in the middle.
As long as the Warriors have a chance to win the title ever year, they'll have plenty of veterans interested in joining them for the ride. But as long as James is at the top of his game, so will whichever team he's on.