The Golden State Warriors are making a fresh push in the LeBron James sweepstakes, and this time they’ve added a familiar championship voice to Steve Kerr’s bench.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, longtime NBA coach Frank Vogel has agreed to join the Warriors as associate head coach under Kerr. Charania reported:
“Longtime NBA coach Frank Vogel has agreed to become the associate head coach for the Golden State Warriors under head coach Steve Kerr, sources tell ESPN.”
Vogel’s arrival gives Golden State a coach who spent three seasons leading the Los Angeles Lakers and helped guide LeBron James to a title in the 2019-20 season. His NBA head coaching career has stretched across 12 seasons, and while his Lakers tenure ended on a sour note, the championship connection with James is the obvious headline here.
The move comes as the Warriors continue trying to improve their standing in the chase for the 41-year-old superstar. Early in the offseason, Golden State was seen as one of the favorites, but a series of major transactions shifted the landscape and weakened its position. Bringing in Vogel looks like another step in the franchise’s effort to steady its case.
Golden State’s players are doing their part, too. Charania said Draymond Green has been actively recruiting James, and Stephen Curry is also expected to make his own pitch. Charania said:
“I’m sure Draymond [Green] is doing everything he can to recruit LeBron James to the Warriors. I think that is 100% what is going on here.”
Charania also noted that Green is committed to staying with the Warriors, cutting down speculation about a possible return to Cleveland. Green has even laid out his own recruitment pitch, backing up the reporting.
The effort isn’t limited to the veterans. Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg recently joined Bleacher Report and made his own case for James to come to the Bay Area:
“My pitch is - I know you don’t like rookies that much, but I’m not the average rookie, and I would love to learn under you. So, if you’re looking to play with one of the greatest shooters of all time and, of course, Draymond, it would be great to come to the Warriors, and we’ll be glad to have you.”
Lendeborg’s pitch may not swing much on its own, but it does underline how openly the Warriors are going after James. Between Vogel’s addition and the recruiting effort from players across the roster, Golden State is clearly trying to make itself harder to ignore.
Even so, the current version of the Warriors doesn’t exactly scream contender. That would normally be enough to take them out of the running. But with the franchise’s title history and the championship experience already in the room, Golden State still has a case to make.
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