As soon as LeBron James informed the Los Angeles Lakers that he would be signing elsewhere in free agency this offseason, the Golden State Warriors were thought to be among the most likely teams to land him.
However, it seems that one key hold-up in the Warriors’ pursuit of another star player could keep them from signing James, which ESPN’s NBA insider Shams Charania asserted during a July 3 appearance on ESPN’s “Get Up” podcast.
When asked which teams he believes have a “legitimate” shot at landing LeBron in free agency, Charania said, “At least a few. But this is a true free agency process, because so much has changed, right? There’s fluidity that comes with it, with information. A few days ago, the [76ers] didn’t have Jaylen Brown. So now they do… So now they have to be on the radar of LeBron James.”
“The Cavaliers, the Heat, they’re two teams that are known quantities. The Warriors, going into free agency, they dreamt up a grand plan of Draymond Green, Stephen Curry, LeBron James,” Charania continued.
“The big domino with them is trying to get a player like an Anthony Davis, so you can bring in LeBron James and Anthony Davis as a package deal. Short of that, they’re not really looked at right now at the top of this list. But things can change.”
Charania is alluding to Golden State’s interest in signing LeBron’s former Lakers running-mate, Anthony Davis, as a way to entice LeBron to bring his talents to the Bay Area.
But the Washington Wizards (with whom Davis is under contract through next season) have asserted that they have no intention of trading him at this point.
Since the prospect of reuniting with Davis was seen as a big reason why LeBron might want to join the Warriors, that no longer being realistic presents a tough reality check for Golden State.
Then again, the Warriors still have Steph Curry, who LeBron would love to play alongside. And as Shams said himself, things can change very quickly in the free agency landscape.
