Draymond Green has officially confirmed what many NBA fans have suspected. During his recent golf trip with LeBron James, the Golden State Warriors tried to recruit one of his closest friends to the Bay Area.
And by Green’s own words, the pitch was anything but subtle. Speaking on the Draymond Green Show, Green revealed that he made a serious effort to convince LeBron to join the Warriors in free agency.
“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.”
“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.”
This is a pretty direct recruitment admission from an active NBA player. These comments come after Green and LeBron spent a few days together in Puerto Rico playing golf. With photos going viral, this story will add to the Warriors rumors.
And given their history, it’s not surprising.
Although they spent four straight years going at each other in four straight NBA Finals from 2015 to 2018, Green and LeBron have become close friends off the court. They also share the same agent, Rich Paul, making communication even easier.
Over the past few weeks, the Warriors have remained one of the few teams trying to convince LeBron to join them. But recent reports suggest the Warriors are no longer leading the race.
Brian Windhorst recently stated that rival executives around the league believe the Cleveland Cavaliers remain among the favorites, but he stressed that much of the rumors is based on vibes.
The Miami Heat also emerged as a leading contender. Adam Schefter recently suggested LeBron’s obsession with golf could give the Heat an advantage, and Sam Amick reported that one rival team believes Miami sits in the lead.
The Philadelphia 76ers continue to make a big push as well. Bob Myers, now President of Sports for Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, publicly pitched that the Sixers are LeBron’s best opportunity to win another championship. Colin Cowherd repeated the same thoughts, saying the Sixers are the perfect landing spot due to their roster.
Meanwhile, the Warriors continue to search for ways to build their own roster.
The Warriors already retained Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford as they look to explore blockbuster trade proposals involving Anthony Davis. The Warriors’ thought process is simple: pair LeBron with Stephen Curry and another title window opens.
From Green’s perspective, that’s exactly what he tried to sell. Whether LeBron agrees remains the biggest mystery of the offseason.
