Warriors' LeBron James Pursuit Has One Under-the-Radar Problem

The Golden State Warriors have a legitimate shot at LeBron James this offseason.

The Lakers chose not to give James a contract extension, leading many to believe they plan to go after other free agents this offseason.

James is still worth something close to a max contract, but most contenders have no way of offering him more than the non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($15 million).

The Warriors should have access to the NTMLE. It might require Draymond Green opting out of his $27.7 million player option to sign a multiyear deal with a smaller 2026-27 salary. That's one of a few options they can easily pursue if James is truly on the table for them.

And it's at least possible he is. James has said he would love to play with Stephen Curry, and James has been close friends with Green for some time. James also has experience being coached by Steve Kerr, as they won a gold medal together at the 2024 Olympics.

The issue for the Warriors is a two-week-old quote that complicates their James pursuit.

James Will Take His Time Making Free-Agency Decision

On his Mind the Game podcast with Steve Nash, James said the following regarding his NBA future:

"I'm still in the moment of just, like, taking my time and saying I haven't really thought about it too much," James said. "... I think at some point, up until, you know, June, late June, as July rolls around, free agency starts to, you know, get going, and as, you know, July rolling maybe into August, we start to kind of get a feel for what my future may look like."

If James is being genuine that he won't make his free-agency decision until late July at the earliest, the Warriors will have no choice but to put all their eggs in the James basket if they want any chance to land him.

As they wait for him to make his decision, they won't be able to use any of their mid-level exception. If he decides to sign with someone else, all of the best free agents they would have used their MLE on will be signed elsewhere.

That group includes Anfernee Simons, Collin Sexton, De'Anthony Melton and just about any decent free agent you can think of.

Can Warriors Afford to Wait on LeBron?

On the one hand, getting James for the $15 million mid-level exception would be the Warriors' best possible result this offseason.

On the other hand, being spurned by James would derail their 2026-27 season before it begins.

To answer the subheadline question, the Warriors have to be sure they are getting him if they wait on him.

If they aren't sure, they have to pivot to their Plan B, which likely involves dividing their NTMLE into multiple free agents, hopefully including Simons or Sexton.

The Warriors can build a good team if they act quickly on the FA market. They won't be able to if they wait around and miss on James.

Add us as a preferred source on Google