As the LeBron James sweepstakes rages on, teams across the league are scrambling to make their pitch. At the front of the race are the Heat and Cavs, who already have a prior history with the King. Earlier this week, 76ers President Bob Myers even made his case on Rich Paul’s podcast, outlining publicly why his team is the best choice.
Warriors star Stephen Curry recently became the latest to make a public appeal to LeBron, and his argument was undeniably strong. Speaking during a golf event, he touched on the Warriors’ past, the potential for success, and the veteran, winning culture that fits what LeBron is looking for.
“I don’t have a percentage; it’s up to him,” said Curry, via Anthony Slater. “I feel like any place he called and said ‘I want to play there,’ you move mountains to make it happen. I know we’re in that boat as well. The pitch is: Do you want to play good basketball and be around people who know how to play the game? Raise our floor, raise our competitiveness this year. There’s good golf in the Bay. We’re an organization that’s been there, and he knows that. It’s really self-explanatory. It’s just about where he sees himself fitting at the end of the day, and that’s up to him.”
After 23 years in the NBA, LeBron wants no part of a mediocre situation. He wants to play meaningful games in a competitive environment, putting the Warriors in the running, along with several other teams. At 38, Steph isn’t what he used to be, but (like James) he can still produce at a high level, as he showed last season with averages of 26.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game on 46.8% shooting and 39.3% shooting from three.
Despite the Warriors finishing 10th in the West last season, Steph believes the combination of him, LeBron, and Draymond Green would be enough to challenge any team in the league. That’s not to mention the impact of Kristaps Porzingis, Jimmy Butler (when he returns), and promising young rookie Yaxel Lendeborg. In fact, even if the Warriors don’t land LeBron, Curry is optimistic about his future.
“It’s TBD [to be determined], because that’s what free agency’s all about,” Steph added. “With LeBron, we’re in a situation where the league is waiting, but other than that, it’s great to get KP back, it’s great to get [De’Anthony Melton] back. We’re in a very unique situation because Jimmy’s hurt and Moses is hurt; they’re gonna miss a good part of the season. We’ve got to try to hold the fort down until those guys get back because we do have an idea of who we can be with them. But I know Mike, Steve, and Joe they’re will doing the best they can to make the right decisions on what’s available.”
Arguably, the best case for LeBron to join the Warriors is simply the storyline. He faced off against Golden State four times in the Finals, making them, arguably, his greatest career rivals. To join them now, while they are on the decline, would make for an interesting twist to the whole dynamic.
Unfortunately, the Warriors are still considered underdogs compared to the Heat and Cavaliers, who offer James familiarity and a chance to dominate the Eastern Conference. To beat out those teams, the Warriors will have to make a super compelling case… or, they could trade for Anthony Davis. Either way, the decision is purely LeBron’s to make, and he has no shortage of options.
