The Warriors are still in the LeBron James chase, but the path to getting him looks steep enough that it may require a massive swing before anything else can happen.
Golden State has been linked to James for weeks, and the interest reportedly dates back to the beginning of June, when Steph Curry met with him about the idea of teaming up. NBA insider Brett Siegel said the push is expected to continue as free agency approaches.
“Pairing him with Stephen Curry is going to be something that the Warriors are going to pursue over the next few weeks… It seemed very doubtful, it seemed low percentage, now it’s kind of questionable. Now there’s going to be some legs to this… That same source told us that Steph is planning on meeting and talking with LeBron about potentially joining the Warriors over the course of the next few weeks leading up to free agency,” NBA insider Brett Siegel said.
James’ agent, Rich Paul, has also made it clear how dangerous he thinks Golden State would be with James in the mix. He said:
“If we’re talking strictly basketball, you don’t want to play them. You definitely don’t want to play them in a playoff series.
You don’t want to get to the trade deadline and have little surface edges type of moves made. You talk about just basketball brilliance of mind and experience, production.
It’s pretty tough, Max,” Paul stated.
Still, there’s a major obstacle in the way. According to NBA reporter Evan Sidery, the Warriors’ pursuit of James likely hinges on a blockbuster trade for Anthony Davis.
“The Warriors remain in active pursuit of signing LeBron James, but landing him still likely depends on trading for Anthony Davis. Golden State would need to send out Jimmy Butler and multiple 1st-round picks for the Wizards to even consider it,” NBA reporter Evan Sidery wrote.
That’s the kind of price tag that makes the whole idea feel far more complicated than a simple free-agency pitch. Davis is currently on a $175 million contract with the Washington Wizards, and Golden State would need to part with major assets to get him. The Warriors have made it clear they’re willing to push hard for James, but a move for Davis would be the kind of all-in decision that could reshape their future just to maximize the championship window right now.
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