If the Warriors could make a maximum salary contract work within the NBA’s cap rules, LeBron James would be open to meeting with the team as a free agent this summer, according to Chris Haynes of ESPN. Haynes cautions that there’s no indication at this point that Golden State is exploring ways to land James, but suggests that the four-time MVP would listen to a Warriors pitch out of respect for the team’s “winning culture.”
As Haynes observes, James and his business team are known to “covet structure,” and the Warriors’ management group – from head coach Steve Kerr to GM Bob Myers to Joe Lacob‘s ownership group – epitomize that sort of structure. It also goes without saying that no other NBA team would provide a better opportunity to win multiple more titles over the next few years.
While no one knows where James will end up playing in 2018/19, the idea that he would make the leap to his already-stacked rivals in the Bay Area seems awfully far-fetched. Of course, the thought of Kevin Durant doing the same seemed just as unbelievable when those rumors first started surfacing two years ago.
Still, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (via Twitter), the summer of 2016 posed a unique opportunity for the Warriors to create maximum salary space due to an unprecedented cap spike and the fact that Stephen Curry was still on a very team-friendly contract. Creating a path for James to get to Golden State this offseason wouldn’t be nearly as simple.
Within his article, Haynes suggests that a sign-and-trade deal, perhaps built around Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala, would be the most realistic scenario to get James to the Warriors. However, even that would be a challenge, since Durant would have to take another discount and the club would likely need to move Shaun Livingston, filling its bench with minimum salary players.
In Marks’ view (Twitter links), the only realistic scenario would be having James go the Chris Paul route, exercising his player option for 2018/19. That way, Durant’s free agency wouldn’t be affected and the Warriors wouldn’t be hard-capped as a result of completing a sign-and-trade. LeBron would also be in line to earn the same amount in ’18/19 that he’s expected to on a new contract, and he could sign an extension six months later that could essentially mirror a free agent deal (Twitter link via Marks).
I suspect any debate over the cap machinations of such a deal will ultimately be moot. While Haynes’ report confirms that James isn’t ruling out Golden State out of hand, the odds of LeBron ever donning a Warriors uniform still seem very low.
Klay would have to go
Klay is garbage and if LeBron would go to the Warriors I would not watch basketball
LeBron will never be a warrior and Klay is definitely not garbage.
Yeah that guy that leads the league in 3pt FG% and plays high quality perimeter defense is some real hot garbage.
He’d be the 2nd best player on your Celtics and make them nearly a lock to go to the finals.
What a waste of a post. No way they can make this work.
Lebrons ego would kill the locker room
This would tarnish his legacy as a competitor forever.
More like a chump.
Bucks as a dark horse next year. James has shown major love to giannis over the last two years. They r young, have major pieces/shooters, new arena, new coach, etc. Not out of the question…
He is also close with Bledsoe. I don’t think Bucks have the room salary wise unless they dump guys like Delly, Teletovic or Henson.
Shocking.
Not.
As a Cavs fan living in Cleveland, I hate LeBron. If he would commit to the Cavs they would feel comfortable enough to trade the nets pick and get a forth star. But no. Play your little games LeBron. Sign another two year deal after this season, BUT GO SOMEWHERE ELSE WITH YOUR BS
The Lakers want to rid of Clarkson, Deng, and Randle so they could sign 2 major free agents. Clarkson, Deng, Randle, and Ingram for LeBron and Frye works. LeBron isn’t looking out for the Cavs now like he didn’t when he left the first time.
When the Cavs and Heat got to point they weren’t good enough any more and went out and found another superteam to play for.
Blame this on Kyrie, Love, Bosh, etc. No blame this on LeBron. I still wish he’d played on a Western Conference non superteam to see how he would do.
Lose
That was an incoherent post, and,
a WARNING to readers– Swanson posts 28 times on this page, just hateful rubbish, same things over and over– and that’s before any harrassing of me. Swanson thinks moving to Cleveland makes him an expert on the Cavs who keep besting the Pacers.
James is a tremendous athlete no doubt but so are Thompson and Iguodala… Very little chance they get traded in a few months so that Lebron can get in…
HAHAHAHAHA!!!
This is comical, just makes MJ,Kobe,Magic, and Bird that much greater in my eyes. If you want to ruin whatever is left of your overrated legacy Lebron go ahead and do it. I can’t stomach how NBA fans these days would applaud this, how can you people even consider this man top 5 let alone the GOAT if he ever does this? Go ahead Lebron sign with the Warriors, your legacy would be ruined.
Exactly right. Not only that, but this would kill the NBA completely.
your comment just makes no sense. no where in this article or anywhere else does it say, “LeBron wants to join the Warriors”.
I agree 100% Magic and Bird saved the floundering NBA because they COMPETED against each other, Jordan then came along and took the game global. Bird and Magic would have never played together, Jordan would have never played w/ Detroit, NY, IND etc… just to make it easier to win titles. Those rivalries is what made the NBA great, these “super teams” are ruining it. 95% of the teams/fan bases went into this season knowing their team had no shot at a ring. I lost all respect for Bron when he held Cleveland over the grill and did his dumb ass tv special w/ Jim Gray and he “took his talents to South Beach”.
I lost all respect when LeBron left for South Beach too and his television special. I haven’t forgotten or forgiven.
You moved. People move, it’s legal to do so. Why can’t James?
Bad examples. Jordan had a loaded team – do you remember where Rodman was before his Bulls run? Competing against them. And Kobe? The dude demanded a trade – something LeBron has never done. Wherever he’s gone, he’s done it as a free agent.
Actually, James could go anywhere he wants to go. Write an article with that as the lead in.
Sure because you support that hot garbage. I enjoy watching competitive basketball, I come from the 80’s so I grew up watching something different. Can’t wait till that bum retires and the NBA can get back to normal.
This! 100% Dionis
So what? You think that when LeBron retires every team is going to voluntarily break up their super teams? Normal for the NBA is super teams now. Honestly, it’s been that way for a while with the exception that the teams were more organically built than built through free agency and trades. Jordan had Pippen and Rodman, two Hall of Fame players. Magic had Kareem, James Worthy, and Bob McAdoo, all Hall of Fame players. The Bad Boy Pistons had Isaiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, and a young Dennis Rodman (all Hall of Fame players). Larry Bird had Robert Parrish and Kevin McHale. So while most superstars didn’t leave to go form a superteam, most of the greats were already a part of a superteam or were one free agent/trade from becoming a bonafide superteam.
The free agency/trade superteams aren’t even LeBron’s fault. The Celtics and Lakers were the first to do it. The Lakers added Pau Gasol to an already stacked team that had Kobe and Bynum. The Celtics added KG and Ray Allen through trades. Granted both of them (and Pierce) were coming up to the tail end of the careers, they were still Hall of Fame worthy talents that joined an already decent team.
Eventually the NBA will do something to force teams to adhere to the salary cap. The reason the salary cap was started was to prevent superteams. The players association want them. The Owners don’t.
LeBron is a baby. I remember him against Paul Pierce and especially the final game against the Spurs when he was on the bench with his head in his hands. I’ll take the little guy every time.
The owners don’t want superteams because most of them only care about revenue. If you could guarantee an owner that forming a superteam of their own would result in a championship, they would (or at least should) do it in a heartbeat. They can’t afford to have a superstar on their team and not spend the necessary money to build a roster around him.
The Cavs have paid the highest luxury tax in the league since LeBron came back and look what it got them. Tristan Thompson, J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert. Thanks LeBron!
U “Forgot” the title, first since 1964 here.
People go into business to make a profit whether you’re a small business owner or a professional franchise owner!!!!
The 80’s were so much better than today
That’s not true. a lot of teams don’t want to deal with his ego and can’t afford his contract and wouldn’t go into the luxury tax for him and would tell him to get lost when he tries to play GM.
Any team would take him and pay him instead of others IF THEY COULD AFFORD IT. His ego, everything. Your bias based on size– “I’ll take the little guy every time”– like @overthere, like owner Gilbert– makes you incapable of rational analysis.
If James did end up in GS and got to 7 NBA titles, you would have to put a Barry Bonds sized asterisk beside his record. None of the other greats ever went Championship chasing with other teams.
Dude Lebron will never be better then Mike,Kobe,Magic, or Larry period. Can’t wait till he retires so we can move on to the Giannis and Simmons era in the East. We’ll see were Zion and Bol Bol go, but Lebron has done nothing but ruin the game with all this friendly bs and teaming up crap.
If those guys are so much better than Lebron, why does he need to retire for them to have their own era? Even your childish insults prove how great Lebron is lol
I wonder who @x%sure would root for LeBron and the Warriors or the Cavs? LeBron has ruined the game. These guys are hurting the small market teams with these superteams. I think it’s so funny the Pacers salary is so much lower than the Cavs and they are 2 games apart. These LeBron people forget about LeBron with the Cavs. Owner went and got LeBron whoever he wanted, he had to go to a superteam because he couldn’t beat the Celtics. I do for Kevin Love. He’s just like Chris Bosh. He’s been the Whipping boy. I’ll never forget the look on LeBron’s face when San antonio spanked Miami bad. That’s when he decided to go back to Cleveland when the owner told him he’d spend watever it takes for a championship. I want to see Zion Williamson too.
People are forgetting LeBron the first time in Cleveland. He couldn’t handle Paul Pierce. Meant I feel for Kevin Love and Chris Bosh, especially now. I like the little guys. Was glad to see Stanley Johnson have such a good game against LeBron.
I mean the pre-Decision Cavs team was absolutely terrible. Their second best player was who? Daniel Gibson? An old Antwan Walker? Delonte West? Realistically, no superstar would have been able to win with that supporting cast.
Don’t forget about Shaq too!
This is why I’ll root for Giannis, Oladipo, Porzingas, the Spurs, etc. I’ll take the little guys over the superteams anyday. Put a Pacers-Bucks game on against Cavs and Warriors. I’ll watch the Pacers-Bucks any day. When Larry Bird was general manager of the Pacers he said he wanted to keep all his guys together as long as he could, just like he was when he was on the Celtics. Same for Bill Russell, Magic, and so on. The true superstars are the team players not the ball dominators.
Exactly my point, name me one superstar who could’ve realistically won a championship with that pre-Decision Cavs team. Even a prime MJ wouldn’t have been able to do that considering how bad the actual roster was. Yet the blame for the Cavs losing to the Celtics and getting swept by the Spurs in the Finals is somehow LeBrons fault?
Our point is instead of staying with the Cavs and trying to make them better like a loyal player would do, he bailed. Don’t you remember fans burning LeBron’s jerseys, Dan Gilbert’s comments, and the boos LeBron got when he came back. Kyrie inherited his mess and bailed when he couldn’t tolerate him anymore.
A lot of that Spurs series was LeBron’s fault!
Karl Malone and Gary Payton both left near the end of their careers to championship chase. Kevin Durant left during the middle of his prime to championship chase.
Yes it is typical behavior, albeit usually towards the end of a career, and if a title has not been won yet.
But this move is unlikely to happen.
Trash. This is why MJ was the man. He didn’t need to go team up with other Superstars.
Undisputed GOAT Michael Jeffrey Jordan. Jordan would torch that bum LeChoke.
I’m just like @x%sure. He’s gunho on LeBron as GOAT. I know where he lives. It’s big Cavs country and not too far from LeBron’s home of Akron. I’ve seen M.J. and LeBron. Take a country wide poll and see how many people say M.J. ESPN just compared M.J. and Brady as the best of all time in their sports.
I suppose I could go over to Football Rumors and post relentless hate about Peyton Manning but I have some pride left.
That’s because MJ had a team that could make the Eastern Conference Finals without him. He already had a squad around him. But I guess your hatred for Lebron made you overlook that?
No offense. LeBron won’t play for anyone that doesn’t have 3 superstars and he won’t play for anyone in west except the Rockets or Warriors. That’s why I like watching the Cavs lose so much right now. LeBron doesn’t have Kyrie to carry his back anymore!
So we’re going to ignore the fact that Jordan played with Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman, both of whom are Hall of Famers. Yup, not superstars…just a bunch of scrubs?
Again take a poll across the country and ask who the GOAT is LeBron or M.J. You’ll lose!!!!
I’m not debating who is the GOAT. Maybe spend some time reading my comment. The OP said MJ didn’t need to leave to form a superteam. He’s right, but MJ already had a superteam. In terms of best players LeBron has played with (in terms of how good they are/were when he played with them), it probably goes something like Wade, Kyrie, and Bosh. Pippen was about the same, maybe slightly better, than Wade was and did more on both ends of the court than Kyrie. Rodman is better than Bosh. My point is that everyone makes the comment that MJ, Magic, or Larry didn’t have to leave to go form a superteam, and they’re right, but they also completely ignore the fact that those players already were on a superteam.
Don’t forget M.J. played against a lot better competition than LeBron has! Isaiah never left Detroit, neither did Laimbeer or Dumars. Parish, Bird and McHale never left Boston. Dominique Wilkins never left Atlanta. Boston, Detroit, The Knicks, Pacers, and for that matter Orlando are better than what LeBron has faced, andthat’s just the Eastern Conference. NBA owners, commisioners, etc. some day will put a stop to superteams.
Idk why you go on all posts that defended against LBJ being trash and replied that MJ is the goat. Dude most of those posts never said LBJ is the goat. Do you imply a player is trash if he’s not goat?
I imply that M.J. is and always be the greatest player in NBA history. I’ll listen to the NBA announcers, writers, and fans during M.J.’s era over these few Cavs fans. I also imply that former GM Dave Griffin said the problem with LeBron is that he has always dictated to the team he plays for how to run their business or they’ll leave. A lot of people don’t like that. like people are mad at Kyrie because he didn’t want to deal with LeBron any more.
See @x%sure and Yoyo for those gloating about LeBron.
KD would be the happiest man in the world cause he would be off the hook if LeBron did this…
Don’t think it will ever happen, but if it does LeBron’s legacy would be forever tarnished. So much for “going home” where he belongs, sending his kids to school in Akron, and contributing to the culture and economy of his beloved northeast Ohio. His #23 jersey would be set afire in every state except California, and the NBA as a whole would suffer even more.
Lebron has no self respect so I would not be shocked if he does join the Warriors.
What’s so funny is he talks about the Clippers have no respect for Blake Griffin for letting him go after 9 years. No loyalty he says! Let’s see what LeBron does again!
He won a championship for Cleveland, a city that hasn’t even sniffed a championship in 50 something years. But you’re right, he hasn’t done enough for them. Because they (the city and the team) did so well when he left for Miami that him coming back didn’t change anything.
Yes he has and Cleveland will always appreciate it. But I’ll bet if he goes to the Warriors he’ll get booed when he comes back to Cleveland. If LeBron never left Cleveland and did this, I might agree with you. But he didn’t. LeBron isn’t about Cleveland, he’s about his legacy. That’s why he won’t go to the Lakers. I do root for the Browns, but Colts, Broncos, Saints, and Cowboys too. Purdue has never won a National Championship in basketball, I still watch their games.
P.S. I’m a Cubs fan. They went longer than Cleveland. You don’t see them ranting and raving about Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, the pitching staff, Joe Madden, the front office, etc. A lot of these guys are gone already. Doesn’t mean Chicago doesn’t appreciate them. None of them had an ego like LeBron’s.
LOL CP3 to the Lakers is not acceptable but this would be fine
Not defending this Lebron bs but the Hornets were owned by David Stern at the time that is why the trade was not finalized.
True but the reason Stern gave for nixing the trade was ‘competitive imbalance’.
One is a trade the other is a players right to choose where he goes.
That trade would not have tarnished the entire competition of the leauge. A move this big would require interference doesn’t matter if its free agency
Really? That would basically dismantle the entire principle of free agency if a player isn’t allowed to go where he prefers.
I totally understand the trouble it causes, just that messing with FA for this super team era is a hard thing to get the players association on board with.
Actually, Stern vetoed the trade because he thought the Hornets could get more for CP3. When the trade got vetoed, Lamar Odom got upset and demanded a trade right away and the Lakers panicked and dealt him to the Mavericks. Once that happened, that killed the deal.
If he goes there I give up on Basketball for a while. I’m already really over the way things are with the Cavs and the Warriors steam rolling teams in the playoffs and always being in the finals. Don’t get me wrong, been a fan for 30 years but I just couldn’t handle seeing him go the Warriors. I was actually really happy for the Warriors when they started winning and when they won a Championship but I felt it wasn’t even right when Durant went there but I still am happy for them but if they get Lebron that’s just too much. It’s crazy to me that teams were complaining about these one sided teams and now that it’s happening with the Warriors I hear nothing about that. It was only because it was the Lakers for so long.
This would end the NBA
While I would hate for this to actually happen as a basketball fan, LeBron has every right to do this if he and the Warriors wanted to. He’d be just as bad, if not worse, than KD when he left for the Warriors but its his choice in the end. The thing that does resonate with me here though is how one-sided loyalty is for the fans/team and the players. If the player leaves (or demands a trade) their jerseys are burned and the fans call them traitors. If the player is traded (without demanding one), it’s just a business decision. That’s why so many players are leaving their teams now to form a superteam. Part of it is because the only way to win a championship these days is to form a superteam, but also because players are just looking out for themselves more these days than worrying about loyalty. Outside of Dirk and the Spurs vets (Ginobili and Parker) its hard to blame any player for not remaining loyal to one team when they know that as soon as their play starts to drop off or they start getting injured, the fans lose interest and are calling for him to be traded.
Malone and Payton stunk when they were at the end of their careers. Durant said there is no loyalty in the NBA and look how the OKC fans reacted after everything he did for them!!
Don’t think he won’t consider it. Steph Curry and LeBron were born in the same hospital in Akron. Curry was the first player from Akron to win a championship. Ever think about that!
No. Curry was not known to have been born in Akron. Whether he is “from” there is debatable, since he was gone in less than a year. IDK why this is a topic.
Why do you post so much? What is wrong with you? No short-term memory? You used go on and on about a wide variety of topics.
There are lots of players loyal to their team. Small market teams have them. The Pacers put Reggie Miller’s mural on the side of their arena and bought him a Rolls Royce. That’s why players want to play for Popovich their entire careers.
We’re talking two different eras though. 15+ years ago, superstars stayed with one team for most of their career because fan loyalty didn’t really waver as the player got worse or injured. These days, fans want instant gratification, or results. As soon as the player’s performance starts dropping off or he starts getting injured, fans are calling for his trade/buyout. Small-market teams’ fans will be more loyal to their franchise/star players but as soon as the player’s performance is no longer deemed to be worth the salary they are being paid, loyalty goes right out the window.
Mark Jackson, Reggie, and Jalen are big time announcers and played on the Pacers finals team
that played the Lakers with Kobe and Shaq. Maybe you should talk to them about that. The Spurs too.
And the Seattle Supersonics fans who are dieing to get a franchise back. They had a good one too. I’ll take the little guy any and every day.
Every sport cuts players when they get hurt. Owners want players that can perform. Otherwise they are throwing money away.
Only the NBA all-league team is leaving to form superteams. That’s about 10 guys. I will never forgive LeBron for what he did to Cleveland and Kyrie the first time. It’s why I’m rooting for the Celts to play the Warriors.
The only teams playing to win championships are major media markets. Small markets realize they have to do the best they can. Some Cavs make the Cavs out to be the greatest of all-time after they win 1 championship. They are no where close to the old Celtics, Lakers, Bulls, Pistons, etc.
Why is it the NBA has so many trades and the NFL doesn’t have hardly any?
Why do you act like you care about LJ leaving for Miami?– you hate him; he is large and has ego.
Nobody makes the 2016 Cavs out to be GOAT. No point in asking for a reference regarding who does though.
There is more talk of trades than actual trades in the NBA. Football trades are risky because players can suddenly get wobbly from violence and a GM has to worry if the other GM is getting rid of a player who is reduced.
Also LJ did not leave Irving.
Irving left LJ– Swanson often makes this point in putting down LJ. He wants it both ways in his LJ hate, leaving or being left.
LeBron probably going to try to go into meetings to learn some secrets and hope the Warriors lips get too loose the same way the Celtics did with KD.
Stay in the East Bron.
Sign with Philly or Utah. Both have defensively minded centres and both need decent small forwards
Good point. I am surprised NY has not made more James-compatible decisions (like not signing Hardaway) but maybe they remember losing out to Miami years before. NY was my former most-likely FA winner.
I think there’s a good chance he could be the new Spurs SF. They would be title-ready and there would be no need to worry about rebounding– even their PG does it in volume. Leonard is going sour.