What's Missing from Steph Curry's Final LeBron Pitch Is Telling

Curry's final pitch had some good points, but it was missing something obvious

Stephen Curry | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Stephen Curry went on Good Morning America on Wednesday and was asked to give his pitch to free agent LeBron James.

"The Bay, we know how to win, it's beautiful weather, great golf," Curry said. "I know he's into that."

"The USA experience that we had, the battles that we've had over the years, we just know how to play basketball and I think that he would enjoy just the idea of what it means to finish your career the right way," Curry added. "He knows what he wants and eventually he'll make that decision."

The main part of this pitch—aside from the Bay Area being a great place to live—is Curry's belief that the Warriors play a high-IQ style of basketball that would appeal to James.

That is a smart thing to highlight.

But the fact that Curry didn't mention a single teammate in his pitch is telling.

It says that the Warriors don't have the star power to compete with other pitches.

Star Power of Warriors vs. Other LeBron Suitors

There is no perfect stat for ranking NBA players, but one that I like to use his HNI (Huge Nerd Index), a stat complied by Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey.

He takes 12 catch-all stats and sorts the players by their average ranks in them.

Here is every player on a major LeBron suitor who is ranked in the top 80 of HNI from the 2025-26 regular season.

Cleveland Cavaliers
6. Donovan Mitchell
13. James Harden
34. Evan Mobley
36. Jarrett Allen

Miami Heat
20. Giannis Antetokounmpo
22. Bam Adebayo

Philadelphia 76ers
9. Tyrese Maxey
19. Jaylen Brown
33. Joel Embiid

Warriors
23. Stephen Curry
27. Jimmy Butler

If Butler were healthy, Curry could at least argue that the Warriors have comparable star-level talent to the Heat.

But Butler's torn ACL makes it difficult to have him be part of the pitch.

The most honest way to slice it is that James would have a loaded starting lineup in Cleveland or Philly (including VJ Edgecombe as well), and he'd part of a Big Three in Miami. With the Warriors, it would essentially be a Big Two until Butler comes back, and he'll likely be out for more than half of the season.

That's why some have speculated that the Warriors should trade Butler for Anthony Davis.

But we don't know if Davis' presence would be the deciding factor. Even if it is, it's arguably too risky to trade multiple first-round picks and Butler for a 33-year-old who has major injury question marks and wants a max extension that would go into his late 30s.

Curry's Extended Pitch Would Include Players, But the Point Still Stands

I'm sure Curry would highlight Draymond Green's defense and high-IQ offense in an extended pitch. I'm sure he'd mention how easy it is to play with stretch-5s like Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford, as well as how Golden State's young nucleus of Brandin Podziemski, Gui Santos and Yaxel Lendeborg (and Moses Moody, if he's not traded to afford James) have the ability to provide positive value immediately.

But any way you slice it, the Warriors have a roster disadvantage compared to James' other suitors.

And that could be the reason James spurns the Warriors for one of the Eastern Conference contenders.