LeBron James‘ future in the NBA is slowly emerging as one of the biggest talking points heading into the offseason. With his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers coming to an end this season, James is expected to enter free agency for the first time in eight years.
For the most part, teams such as the New York Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers have been viewed as potential frontrunners to land LeBron James if he plans to return next season. However, Lakers Daily’s Ashish Mathur revealed that the Golden State Warriors‘ star duo of Stephen Curry and Draymond Green would make more of an effort.
“Golden State Warriors legends Stephen Curry and Draymond Green will heavily recruit LeBron James this offseason once free agency starts, sources told Lakers Daily,” Mathur wrote.
While justifying the move by highlighting James’ relationship with Curry and Green, Mathur added:
“San Francisco is also only an hour and a half away from Los Angeles via flying. James’ wife and daughter live in Los Angeles. Signing with the Warriors would allow James to be relatively close to his family without staying with the Lakers, who are ready to move on from the James era to fully build around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, sources said.”
For the most part, the Golden State Warriors are a viable landing spot for LeBron James in free agency. With rumors suggesting that the Warriors have already made attempts to add James to their superstar core in the past, a reinvigorated approach would not be out of the question.
This move would undoubtedly be exciting, especially in light of Curry and James’ potential partnership. However, there may be some obstacles along the way.
Can The Warriors Land LeBron James?
Stephen Curry and Draymond Green’s inclination to recruit LeBron James is certainly noteworthy. Given that the Warriors’ title window is closing rapidly, maximizing their odds by adding a superstar of James’ caliber seems sensible.
Still, some contractual issues may prevent the Dubs from signing James.
At 41, James is potentially in the final year of his NBA career. While his current $52.6 million cap hit is a product of his previous contract, it is highly unlikely that any team would match that value in a new deal if he chooses to return next season.
Currently, the Warriors are severely top-heavy, with an exorbitant amount of money tied up in the contracts of Jimmy Butler and Stephen Curry. Although Kristaps Porzingis‘ $30.7 million expiring contract could give them some cap flexibility in the offseason, Golden State’s front office will need to get very creative with their roster-building approach.
There are currently two alternatives that may help the Dubs land LeBron James. One, have James accept a vet minimum deal to give the Warriors one last chance at a title. Two, offload Jimmy Butler’s contract in a trade and create enough cap room to present James with a convincing offer.
Of the two, the latter seems to be more favorable for the superstar. However, considering that teams may be unwilling to take on Butler’s salary, especially in light of his injury, this may not be feasible.
At the current juncture, LeBron James’ future remains uncertain. While it seems almost certain that his time in Los Angeles has come to an end, his decision about his future in the NBA will also be brought into question this offseason.
