Tyrese Haliburton gets what it means to be a member of Team USA.

"I recruited every guy on that team, basically," he told reporters recently. "Anyone that wants to come join us in Indiana, I'm all for it."

Good for him. What's the point of playing in the Olympics, surrounded by a who's who of NBA megastars, if you're not going to lay the groundwork for partnerships that will one day redefine the championship landscape?

Oh, right, winning a gold medal. That definitely matters. But so do the types of conversations at which Haliburton hints.

Does the LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh era ever happen in Miami if not for their joint experience on Team USA? Maybe. Also: Maybe not.

Anyhow, since it's the dog days of the NBA offseason, let's kill some time by riding the coattails of Haliburton's (presumably) relentless sales-pitching and unpack which Team USA members should link up down the line.

This exercise is presented with two stipulations. First and foremost, it's not that serious. We're having fun. Don't get mad. It's pointless. And lame.

Because variety is the spice of life, I will also be implementing a one-appearance limit per player. So once a duo is selected, both members are off the board.

This not only forces me to more thoroughly game out how and why I'm cobbling together these hypothetical duos, but it absolutely, positively, unequivocally should compel you to undertake the same exercise in the comments. I want to read which five star pairings you would create if you were suddenly Ruler of the Universe. Let's ride.

Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum

Believe it or not, this isn't about giving Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum unlimited time to commiserate over—and talk smack about—their respective Team USA roles under head coach Steve Kerr. That's merely a bonus.

This is more about slotting Tatum alongside a floor general who inarguably displaces him from the ball and increases his transition usage by approximately, er, a factor of 100.

Don't get it twisted. It's fun watching Tatum lean on escape-dribble threes, and he's broadened his self-creation package over the years. But there's a variance to his game and efficiency that the Boston Celtics aren't currently built to entirely even out.

How It Happens

It would be objectively hysterical if just as the Celtics are getting cagey about their second-apron bill, Tatum requests a trade to team up with Haliburton. The Indiana Pacers should have enough first-round picks by that time to shower Boston with cost-controlled goodies.

Conversely, the Celtics could also have the assets to make things work on their end if Haliburton ever wants a change of scenery and Indy is hot for Jaylen Brown.

Devin Booker and Anthony Davis

University of Kentucky alumni unite!

Devin Booker and Anthony Davis are the ultimately scalable superstars. AD's skill set, on offense, is more particular. Generally speaking, though, both stars are able to play alongside anyone.

This pairing might need another primary playmaker to max out its potential. Booker remains one of the league's most underrated passers, but as he's shown in the NBA and with Team USA, he's at his most dangerous when he can toggle between creation/initiation and gobsmacking defenses with his movement and shooting and overall play-finishing.

How It Happens

Getting Booker to the Lakers one day is likely the easier course.

L.A. has pearl-clutched some of its more distant first-rounders rather than maximize LeBron James' window beside AD. Could that be in service of planing for a blockbuster trade that post-dates the former? Perhaps. It would be a bold strategy. Let's see how it works out for them.

Regardless, the Lakers will require Booker's cooperation. And that'll need to take the form of a trade request. Right now, it's far-fetched. Fast-forward a couple of years, past Kevin Durant's current contract—at which time the Phoenix Suns will be worse but still draft pick-starved—and it's easier to envision.

Bam Adebayo and Joel Embiid

I'll be honest: The Bam Adebayo-Joel Embiid selection exists almost entirely so I could finagle the next two duos to come. But that doesn't make it any less intriguing.

There will be some redundancies peppered into any offense built around Adebayo and Embiid. They play different styles, but neither is a caps-lock floor-spacer.

Still, both have the skill sets required to run plenty of big-to-big pick-and-rolls, and I continue to hold out hope Adebayo will deepen his three-point exploration as time goes on.

Sign me all the way up for their team's defense. Imagine trying to score as Embiid patrols the paint and Adebayo functions as a Jaren Jackson Jr.-Giannis Antetokounmpo hybrid while also taking on more one-on-one reps.

How It Happens

Embiid seems less likely to request a trade anytime soon now that the Philadelphia 76ers have Paul George and Tyrese Maxey by his side. Just as well, too. The Miami Heat don't exactly have superstar trade assets at their disposal.

It's slightly easier to picture Adebayo getting frustrated as Jimmy Butler ages out. At the same time, he may welcome the opportunity to continue getting elevated in the pecking order. Embiid's contract is also slated to expire sooner following Bam's three-year extension, and the Heat, historically, have done a nice job positioning themselves around summers that feature superstar flight risks.

Counterpoint to the previous multiple counterpoints: Stars tend not to leave outright in free agency anymore (shout-out, again, to the Los Angeles Clippers.) For now, then, it's tough to map out which side is more likely to be motivated to change scenery.

Forced to choose, I'd say it would have to happen in Miami. The Sixers could look to pivot around Maxey as Embiid and George age, and this side of the Al Horford-in-Philly era, the Heat are the team that's shown more interest in dual-big setups.

Kevin Durant and Anthony Edwards

Kevin Durant is Anthony Edwards' favorite NBA player. And this sentiment apparently applies both ways. KD called Ant his favorite player to watch during the 2024 playoffs.

So, yeah. Make this happen.

And not just for the basketball of it all.

The vibes on most of KD's (non-Team USA) squads always seem to be a little off. Edwards, meanwhile, is a vibes machine. He seems like someone who could help KD play with more levity.

How It Happens

Shoot, we're overdue for a KD trade request, aren't we?

It almost has to happen in Minnesota. Neither the Suns nor the Timberwolves have a ton of draft assets, but the latter at least has players valuable enough to count as multiple first-rounders (Jade McDaniels, Rob Dillingham, Karl-Anthony Towns).

No matter how you prefer this duo forms, don't bother attempting to manifest it until one or both of the Suns and Timberwolves organizations are beneath the second apron. Trades between two teams in that luxury-tax tier are virtually impossible without massive help from multiple facilitating parties.

Stephen Curry and LeBron James

Um, duh.

This needs to happen. Like, NEEDS TO needs to.

Stephen Curry and LeBron James are living legends—two of the greatest 15 players ever, if not two of the top 10. That's a ridiculous amount of star power.

It helps that they remain perfect complements. Steph is a universal fit alongside everyone, and he's never played alongside anyone with the vision and passing IQ of LeBron. The Curry-James pick-and-roll could be more lethal than the Steph-Kevin Durant linkup. And it would definitely be uncorked in higher volume.

There's a nice symmetry here, too. Both men are nearing the end of their careers. Both also happen to be on teams struggling to find a path back toward title contention.

What better way to reopen their championship windows than by going for it together?

How It Happens

LeBron probably needs to force his way to the Warriors. Steph is now under contract for longer after signing a one-year, $62.6 million extension. Equally important, he has stronger emotional ties to the Golden State Warriors organization than James has to the Lakers.

This doesn't have to be a situation in which LeBron opts out of his contract next summer (or whenever) and signs for the minimum. The Warriors have the salary-matching tools to make the math work via trade.

Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter (@danfavale), and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes.

Unless otherwise cited, stats courtesy of NBA.com, Basketball Reference, Stathead or Cleaning the Glass. Salary information via Spotrac. Draft-pick obligations via RealGM.