Report: Warriors More Likely to Land LeBron Than Major Suitor

Among his non-Lakers options, LeBron James is often considered most likely to join the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Golden State Warriors.

The Stein Line's Marc Stein and Jake Fischer wrote Tuesday that the Warriors are ahead of the Cavaliers in the pecking around.

"The idea of a third stint for James as a Cleveland Cavalier is harder to envision not only because of the severe financial limitations that the Cavs would face in trying to bring him back to the Northern Ohio but the sheer distance from what has been established since the summer of 2018 as James' Southern California base," Stein and Fischer wrote.

Stein and Fischer added that the Lakers are still the clubhouse leaders to get James' signature for the 2026-27 season. But they didn't mention any other teams aside from the Warriors and Cavs, which could be considered good news for Warriors fans.

If the Lakers and James have a falling out, the Warriors are positioned to get him.

Warriors' Advantage Over Non-Lakers Teams

As Stein and Fischer wrote, the Warriors are expected use proximity to James' Los Angeles home as part of their pitch to land the four-time MVP.

Other potential suitors such as the Cavaliers, Knicks and Nuggets won't have the argument that James can frequently visit his family in Los Angeles on off days.

The Warriors are also expected to pitch James on a Big Four with Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler.

There's no question James would fit well with Curry, but it's not clear how he'd fit with Green and Butler. With that said, he hasn't always fit well with Lakers star Luka Doncic. We may never find out his true feelings on which players he'd rather play with, but it's at least possible he'd prefer to play with Curry, Green and Butler.

Lakers Hold 3 Advantages on the Warriors

The most obvious advantage the Lakers have is that his family home is nearby.

The next one is that the Lakers can offer James more than the Warriors' max offer of $15 million per season. I've been downplaying this as a major advantage, but it's an advantage nonetheless.

The last one is staying with the Lakers might be best for his legacy.

As I wrote here, no part of James' legacy should change by him joining the Warriors. But some might label him joining his greatest rival team as an indictment on his lack of loyalty and his need to team up with some of the biggest stars of his era.

He might deem it's not worth the headache of answering questions about it during the season and after he retires.

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