Draymond Green didn’t exactly hide the sales pitch.
On the Draymond Green Show, the Warriors forward confirmed that when he spent several days in Puerto Rico with LeBron James on a golf trip, he used the time to try to lure his close friend to Golden State in free agency. Green said he felt he had to make the move.
“Us being brothers, I’d be remiss if I didn’t take the opportunity to make my pitch. I’d be crazy if we spent that many days together and, at no point, I said, ‘Yo, we need to chop it up.
What the hell is going on? What are we doing?’
So, of course I did. And of course the pitch was crazy.
I think I’m pretty good at it.”
He didn’t stop there, either.
“Did it change anything? Did it make anything happen?
I don’t know. I hope so.
With the things I shared, I believe it definitely gave him something to think about. If a decision hadn’t been made yet and even if it had, it might make you think twice.
So there’s that. But we weren’t hanging out just so I could give him a recruiting pitch.”
That’s about as direct as it gets from an active player, and it only adds fuel to the Warriors chatter that has followed the photos from the trip. Green and James have spent years on opposite sides of the biggest stage in basketball, meeting in four straight NBA Finals from 2015 to 2018. Off the court, though, the relationship has turned into a friendship, and both players share agent Rich Paul.
Golden State has been one of the teams trying to get into the conversation for James, but the latest reporting suggests the Warriors are no longer viewed as the front-runner. Brian Windhorst recently said rival executives around the league believe the Cleveland Cavaliers remain among the favorites, though he also noted that plenty of the buzz is driven by vibes.
Miami has also moved into the mix. Adam Schefter recently suggested James’ love of golf could help the Heat, and Sam Amick reported that one rival team believes Miami is in the lead.
The Philadelphia 76ers are pushing, too. Bob Myers, now President of Sports for Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, publicly said the Sixers are LeBron’s best chance to win another championship. Colin Cowherd echoed that idea, saying Philadelphia is the ideal landing spot because of its roster.
While all of that swirls, the Warriors are still working on their own roster plans. The team has already retained Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford and is exploring blockbuster trade proposals involving Anthony Davis. The logic behind the LeBron pursuit is obvious: put him next to Stephen Curry, and another title window opens.
Green clearly did his part to sell that vision. Whether James took the bait is still the offseason question hanging over all of it.
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