Nba Execs Believe Warriors Are One Of Two Most Likely Lebron James Destinations

NBA execs believe Warriors are one of two most likely LeBron James destinations originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Could the Warriors realistically add another aging veteran superstar this offseason?

Golden State, who already has Steph Curry (38) and Jimmy Butler (36) on its roster for the 2026-27 NBA season, is one of the teams linked to Los Angeles Lakers star and future Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer LeBron James (41), who is an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

The Warriors have been linked to James for years, and reportedly attempted to trade for him before the 2024 NBA trade deadline. Will they actually have a chance to add the 22-time All-Star this summer?

The Athletic’s Sam Amick spoke to NBA executives who believe Golden State is one of two teams James likely will join if he does not return to Los Angeles for his 24th season.

“As recently as late January, not long after an ESPN report detailed so much of the dysfunction in James’ relationship with the Lakers organization, the widely-held consensus around the league was that there’s no way he’d be back in a Lakers jersey,” Amick wrote. “The Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors were, and are, often mentioned by league executives as his most likely destinations.

“But it was the lack of synergy and consistent success with James on the court, above all else, that drove this idea of an unavoidable exit. Not to mention the Father Time component, with sciatica issues costing him the first month of the regular season (when the Lakers started 10-4 without him) and questions rising about whether he could still be an impact player.”

Cleveland, where James began his illustrious career in 2003 before he left to join the Miami Heat in 2010, only to return to the Cavaliers in 2014, where he won the franchise’s only championship in 2016, is an obvious suitor as a potential sentimental destination to end what arguably will be the greatest career in the history of the league.

The Warriors, the team James and the Cavaliers faced off against in four consecutive NBA Finals series from 2015-18, is another obvious landing spot due to James’ bond with Curry, who many view as his longstanding rival and counterpart for the majority of his career.

Golden State has made it clear that it intends to compete for another championship as long as Curry remains on the roster, and has not been shy about targeting other veteran stars to help accomplish that goal.

Might James be the piece the Warriors need?

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast