The hypothetical pairing of LeBron James and Kevin Durant on the Los Angeles Lakers is going to remain just that, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst.

On Get Up, Windhorst addressed the idea floated by colleague Stephen A. Smith that the Lakers would've been the "perfect place" for Durant. Windhorst bluntly responded that there's "not really" a path for the 14-time All-Star to wind up in L.A. He added that a swap involving Durant and Anthony Davis, which is basically the only formula that works financially, is a nonstarter.

Suns majority governor Mat Ishbia telegraphed how the team is unlikely to do anything drastic —beyond firing head coach Frank Vogel and hiring Mike Budenholzer— this offseason.

During a meeting with reporters, Ishbia asserted that "the house is not on fire" and 26 other teams "would trade their whole team for our whole team and our draft picks and everything as is."

For a Durant trade to materialize, he probably needs to be the one to make the first step and that presents what's arguably the biggest hurdle in a move to the Lakers.

Why would a player who has spent basically his entire NBA career chasing James join forces with him?

There's almost nothing Durant could gain from a legacy perspective by winning a championship in Los Angeles. His achievements would be discounted in the same way his two titles and two NBA Finals MVPs with the Golden State Warriors failed to provide the affirmation he sought.

Of course, this premise also assumes the Lakers would meaningfully improve their championship odds by swapping Davis for Durant.

It's tough to make that argument when having James and Davis stay healthy and play well wasn't enough for L.A. to avoid falling into the play-in tournament or suffering a first-round exit at the hands of the Denver Nuggets.

Maybe there was a time when Durant suiting up for the Lakers or aligning with LeBron was possible. That ship has in all likelihood sailed by now.