The Warriors are still swinging for the fences in their chase of LeBron James, and now Draymond Green is reportedly part of the pitch.
Golden State has already put multiple pieces of its star core into the recruitment effort. Stephen Curry met with James in June, and the organization itself also met with him last week to talk through the possibility of him joining the team. According to NBA insider Brett Siegel, the Warriors’ push has picked up enough momentum to become something more than a long shot.
“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.
Evan Sidery reported last week that James was preparing to meet with Golden State as an unrestricted free agent, and tied the timing to Green opting out.
“LeBron James is preparing to meet with the Warriors this week as an unrestricted free agent. After Draymond Green opted out today, Golden State has the necessary flexibility to sign LeBron and trade for Anthony Davis. LeBron leaving the Lakers is gaining significant traction,” NBA reporter Evan Sidery wrote.
Now Green is the latest Warrior in the room. Bleacher Report’s Zach Bachar relayed ESPN’s Shams Charania’s report that Green and James are spending time together this week at an undisclosed location.
“LeBron James and Draymond Green are meeting up as the NBA's all-time leading scorer looks to join a new team for the 2026-27 season, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. Charania reported that James and Green are spending some time here together this week at an undisclosed location during a Tuesday appearance on The Stephen A. Smith Show,” Bleacher Report’s Zach Bachar wrote.
Golden State has now checked just about every box in its pursuit: Curry has made his case, the front office has made its pitch, and Green is now reportedly involved too. The Warriors’ interest in James has been impossible to miss.
If it all came together, a group built around James, Curry, Green, Jimmy Butler, and Kristaps Porzingis would instantly be one of the league’s most loaded lineups. For now, though, the meetings are the story, and the question is whether all this recruiting turns into James actually landing in Golden State.
In Other News...
Nuggets Fans May Not Like What This New Wing Rumor Means
Cameron Johnson did not stay long in Brooklyn before landing in Denver, and the fit with the Nuggets was easy to see right away. He brings the kind of wing shooting every contender covets, with the added value of being a high-efficiency role player who can stretch a defense and keep the floor spaced around the stars.
Now the wrinkle is whether Denver can actually keep him. The Nuggets are dealing with a tight cap situation that could force some difficult choices, and that has naturally put rival teams on alert, including the Lakers, who would have interest if Johnson became available. The problem for Los Angeles is the same one that keeps showing up in these kinds of conversations: even when the target makes sense, the path to getting him is far from simple. [Read more 🡒]
Lakers May Have Found The Young Wing Luka And Reaves Need
The Lakers are sorting through a roster reset after losing LeBron James to free agency, and the front offices direction is clear enough: find young wings who can grow alongside Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. Cameron Carr has started to make a case for himself in that conversation, flashing the kind of two-way energy that can matter on a team trying to balance immediate expectations with a longer-term build.
Carrs Summer League play has been encouraging, including an 18-point outing in a win over Oklahoma City that gave the Lakers another look at how he fits in a faster, more open setting. The No. 24 pick has already shown he can contribute on both ends, and for a roster looking for athletic help on the perimeter, that kind of early return is the sort of development worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Lakers Just Made A Strange Luka-Connected Move Mavericks Fans Will Notice
The Lakers quietly cleaned up a long-running bit of roster bookkeeping this week, officially renouncing the free agent rights to Jared Dudley and several other former players. Dudleys Lakers playing days ended after the 2020-21 season, and the move comes five years after his final game with the franchise, finally closing the loop on a name that had lingered on the teams books long after his on-court role was over.
For Lakers fans, it is mostly administrative. For anyone around the Luka Doni orbit, it is the kind of small transaction that gets noticed because of the names attached to it, especially with Dudley having moved on from the Lakers and into coaching after his retirement. The list also included a handful of other familiar veterans, a reminder that teams sometimes spend as much time untangling old rights as they do chasing the next move. [Read more 🡒]