Stephen A. Smith Predicts LeBron James Could 'Average 20 Assists' With One Free Agent Move
LeBron James walked off the floor after a second-round sweep at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and nobody knows yet if that was the last time he suits up in an NBA game. The Los Angeles Lakers' postseason exit closed out his 23rd season in disappointing fashion, and the biggest question in basketball right now is whether year 24 is even coming.
"I don't know what the future holds for me, obviously," James said Monday night after the loss. That one line has been enough to send the whole league into speculation mode.
Stephen A. Smith wasted no time weighing in. On a recent episode of "The Stephen A. Smith Show," the analyst laid out what he sees as LeBron's five realistic options this offseason. Retirement, staying with the Lakers as a third option, returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers to finish where it all started, joining the New York Knicks for a run at Madison Square Garden or signing with the Golden State Warriors.
LeBron to Golden State: Stephen A. Smith's Most Exciting Scenario
Most of those options make sense on paper. But it was the Warriors idea that got Smith going.
The thought of LeBron James playing alongside Stephen Curry had Smith barely keeping it together on air. He called it a spectacle for the entire league and went further, predicting it would change what LeBron's stat line looks like entirely.
"Can you imagine if LeBron James and Steph Curry teamed up with one another? Could you imagine? Oh, my Lord," Smith said. "Remember, because LeBron James is a free agent, you don't have to give up Draymond [Green]. You don't have to give up Porzingis. You can let Jimmy Butler recover. Steve Kerr is still coaching you for the next two years."
Smith then broke down why the fit would work so well for LeBron, specifically at this point in his career.
"Do you have any idea how many assists he'll average?" he added. "He ain't got to go to the basket and feeding and gift wrapping the basket, for the likes of DeAndre Ayton or somebody like that. Oh no. LeBron James could walk up the court and simply kick it to his left or his right, wherever Steph Curry is, and watch him launch from 30. LeBron might average 20 assists a game."
The basketball case is obvious enough. LeBron as a facilitator with Curry as the trigger on the other end would be a nightmare to guard. But Smith's point goes beyond X's and O's.
He argued that a LeBron-Curry pairing would instantly pull focus from every other storyline in the league, even with Victor Wembanyama still rising as the sport's next face. The star power alone, Smith said, would make it the center of the basketball universe from day one.
LeBron is a free agent this summer. What he decides next shapes not just his legacy but the entire offseason conversation around the NBA.
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This story was originally published May 12, 2026 at 10:09 PM.