The Warriors have built themselves a summer blueprint that, on paper, could look outrageous: add LeBron James, and maybe Anthony Davis too.
That’s the path Golden State has created after getting Draymond Green to opt out of his $27.7 million contract. Green is expected to return on a longer-term deal, and that maneuver gives the team enough flexibility to offer LeBron a $15 million contract. The catch, of course, is the same one hanging over every part of this idea: would LeBron want to join a team good enough to matter?
If Golden State lands only LeBron, the roster picture gets interesting fast. The Warriors would have to move Moses Moody to another team to make the money work, but Moody is already set to miss at least part of the year while recovering from a knee injury. He had just started to settle in as a true 3-and-D piece for Golden State once he got steady minutes, but his absence softens the blow a bit.
In that version of the roster, the depth chart would look like this:
PG: Stephen Curry | De'Anthony Melton
SG: Jimmy Butler | Brandin Podziemski
SF: LeBron James | Gui Santos | Gary Payton II
PF: Draymond Green | Yaxel Lendeborg
C: Kristaps Porzingis | Al Horford
There’s real star power there, but health would be the whole story. Butler would not be back until at least halfway through the season after the torn ACL he suffered in January of 2026. If the 36-year-old can get back to his pre-injury level in time for the playoffs, that starting group would be nasty on paper.
The problem is that all the usual warning lights are still flashing. Curry has dealt with knee issues.
LeBron has had sciatica and foot issues. Porzingis’ POTS diagnosis limited him to 32 games.
None of that disappears just because the names get bigger.
And the Warriors would not have much margin behind those stars. Horford can handle backup center minutes.
Lendeborg looks as NBA-ready as a rookie can be, but he’s still a rookie, and he’d be playing for a coach who famously does not like playing rookies. The guards behind Curry are useful, but they are not replacing Curry.
That’s why the regular-season ceiling feels solid rather than spectacular. Golden State should clear last year’s 37 wins without much trouble, but the team would still be behind the Thunder, Spurs, and Nuggets at minimum. If Curry and LeBron each get to 65 games and Butler plays a quarter of the regular season, my win projection model has the Warriors landing in the mid-to-high 40s.
That doesn’t scream contender in the regular season. But it does hint at a team with a different level once the games get tighter.
Curry and LeBron already showed in the 2024 Olympic run that they can work together, and Steve Kerr has seen the formula up close. He coached both of them during that Gold medal stretch and used them in inverted pick-and-rolls for each other.
So no, that group wouldn’t be built to cruise through 82 games. The depth is shaky, and the age curve is impossible to ignore. But in the playoffs, with the right health and the right matchup, that’s a team that could absolutely win a round or two.
If Golden State tries to go even bigger and adds Davis via trade, the whole board changes again. Butler would be the most likely outgoing salary, along with draft assets, and the depth chart would shift to this:
PG: Stephen Curry | De'Anthony Melton
SG: Brandin Podziemski | Will Richard
SF: LeBron James | Gui Santos | Gary Payton II
PF: Draymond Green | Al Horford | Yaxel Lendeborg
C: Anthony Davis | Kristaps Porzingis
That is a massive lineup. Porzingis would be the natural candidate to come off the bench, and the frontcourt would be loaded with size and defense.
Davis is another piece from that 2024 Team USA gold-medal team, so the LeBron-Curry-Davis combination has already shown flashes of how it could function. LeBron and Davis also have a long history together: 296 games played side by side and a championship with the Lakers in 2020.
The fit wouldn’t be clean everywhere. This would be a slow team, and the perimeter defense would have issues.
Spacing could get tricky too, especially with Davis and Green in the same frontcourt. Green might even need to come off the bench in that setup.
Still, the talent jump would be hard to ignore. Davis may not stay healthy for long stretches, but when he’s on the floor, he’s still an All-Star. In my model, swapping him in for a quarter-season of Butler adds about four wins and pushes Golden State into the 50-win range.
That kind of move also lifts the playoff ceiling. Porzingis protects the rim well, but Davis gives the Warriors more versatility and more answers against different styles. If everything lined up and they got to the postseason healthy, this would be a team with a puncher’s chance to reach the Conference Finals or go beyond.
Whether that’s enough to pull LeBron in is the real question. If it is, it would give the Warriors one more dramatic chapter in a career and a dynasty that have already produced plenty of them.
In Other News...
Draymond Green Just Raised The Stakes For The Warriors Next Move
Draymond Green gave the Warriors a little more breathing room this week, choosing to step away from his $27.7 million player option and signaling once again that he wants to keep helping shape what comes next in Golden State. The move fits the larger tone around the franchise right now: Green has made his commitment clear, and the front office has been busy trying to keep pace by making additions and lining up more possibilities around the roster.
The backdrop is a team that already has new deals in place with Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and DeAnthony Melton, while still keeping an eye on bigger swings in free agency. Golden State has also been linked to LeBron James as it works through its next round of roster planning, and Greens decision adds another layer to the stakes, because the more flexibility the Warriors have, the more options they can chase in the weeks ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Lakers Icon Had A Surprising Response To LeBrons Exit
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's reaction to LeBron James moving on from the Lakers was a strikingly gracious one, especially given how much history sits between the two. Abdul-Jabbar congratulated James on social media, praised what he accomplished during his eight years in Los Angeles and wished him well as his career continues elsewhere.
It also lands with extra weight because James did his damage against Abdul-Jabbar's place in the record book while wearing purple and gold, eventually passing him for the NBA's all-time scoring mark and later for most field goals made. Even with the two having acknowledged in the past that they did not have much of a relationship, Abdul-Jabbar still chose to salute him publicly, a reminder of how much James changed the Lakers' story before the chapter closed. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Could Miss On Another Scoring Guard Fans Wanted Badly
Golden States search for another scoring guard has led it into a familiar summer spot, chasing a shot-maker who could ease some of the pressure on the backcourt. The Warriors already brought in DeAnthony Melton and are still looking for more offense on the perimeter, a sign they are not done trying to add another player who can create shots and space the floor.
The problem is that the market around that guard is getting crowded, with Miami also pushing to strengthen its shooting after landing Tim Hardaway Jr. Financial considerations could end up mattering just as much as the basketball fit, and there is even a chance the whole picture shifts depending on how LeBron James free agency plays out. For Golden State, it is another reminder that the players it wants most are often the hardest ones to keep within reach. [Read more 🡒]