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For the most part, NBA free agency is complete.
Given the current salary cap structure, which makes teams far less willing to sign free agents to huge money, most players change teams via trade before they hit the true open market.
However, the biggest name in basketball remains an unrestricted free agent, available to sign with any team that can fit him under the salary cap, or convince him to sign to a mid-level exception or veterans minimum deal: LeBron James.
The market for James has started to take shape.
In an interview with NBA Today, ESPN insider Shams Charania named five franchises as leading suitors for the former Lakers forward: the Cavaliers, Heat, Warriors, 76ers and Timberwolves.
All have been connected to James since his decision to leave the Lakers.
Some of the fits are fairly clear: James won championships in both Cleveland and Miami, and both of those franchises are gearing up to compete for a title in 202627.
The 76ers and Timberwolves are making runs as well, following their acquisitions of Jaylen Brown and LaMelo Ball, respectively.
And then there are the Warriors, a franchise with which James repeatedly clashed during his second stint with the Cavaliers, and with whom he has some close connections.
Clevelandor, more accurately, nearby Akronis home for James.
The Heat are the team with which LeBron won his first two titles and where he truly began to build the resume that places him in GOAT conversations.
And Philadelphia and Minnesota may offer him a higher upside and his best chances to make a run at title No.
5.
But James is taking a pretty hands-off approach to his free agency, leaving Rich Paul to deal with most teams.
Except for Golden State, that is.
Jamess close relationship with Draymond Green gives the Warriors an interesting advantage in the biggest remaining free agency race.
According to ESPNs Anthony Slater, Draymond Green and Steph Currys ability to contact LeBron James directly give them one advantage During a Monday SportsCenter appearance, Slater laid out where the Warriors have a leg up on the rest of the field.
Not only is Green, a longtime friend of James, involved, but Golden State guard Steph Currythe other defining player of this era of basketballalso told Slater during a recent interview in the Lake Tahoe area that he has spoken to James.
Draymond Green is pitching LeBron James on vacation, Slater said.
And I was in Tahoe the other day and Steph Curry said hes been in contact with him.
Not many people in this process can reach LeBron James directly but the Warriors players can.
And I thought one of the most interesting parts of Stephs pitch is basically the historic nature of them potentially teaming up.
Year 18 for Steph, year 24 for LeBron, the battles theyve hadhe called it, maybe, it could be one of the most unique stories in NBA history if they teamed up.
Curry has been outspoken about his desire for the potential collaboration.
The pitch is: Do you want to play good basketball and be around people who know how to play the game? Raise our floor, our competitiveness, Curry said last week.
Theres good golf in the Bay.
Were an organization thats been there.
He knows that.
Thats really self-explanatory.
Its a matter of where he sees himself fitting.
At the end of the day, thats up to him.
Slater also noted Golden States recent hire of former Lakers coach Frank Vogel, who won a title with James in 2020, though he downplayed the idea that it had much to do with the Warriors' pursuit of the free agent forward.
Green described his pitch to James on a recent episode of his podcast After taking some umbrage with Charanias decision to report on the pair of friends hanging out in personsomething he didnt believe was relevant because of their well-established friendship Green opened up about how he pitched James.
Id be remiss if I dont take the opportunity to throw my pitch in there.
Id be crazy if were together for X amount of days and at no point am I like, Yo, we need to chop it up.
What the hell going on? What we doing? And so theres that.
Of course I did that.
And of course the pitch was crazy.
I think Im pretty decent at it.
..
With the things I shared in it, it definitely is going to make the brain work a little bit.
I dont think theres a decision thats been made but say if there was, itd make you think twice about it.
Green made clear that the trip was far more about their friendship and golf, and that it wasnt all about recruiting James to the Warriors, but that he had the opportunity and took his shot.
He added that he doesnt know whether it will ultimately make a difference in the recruitment.
Green is also a free agent, after declining a player option in a move that could help the Warriors land James Entering the offseason, Green was expected to pick up the $27.7 million player option to return to Golden State in 202627.
Instead, he declined it, making him one of the other big-name free agents on the market.
Technically, that is.
Everything Green has said and done this offseason indicates that he is set to return to the Warriors, and his decision was quickly reported as having been made with adding Jamesand perhaps even Wizards forward Anthony Davisin mind.
There hasnt been much movement on the Davis front, and Washington seems loath to move him as they intend to hit the ground running quickly after drafting AJ Dybantsa with the No.
1 pick, but the move still gives the team some roster flexibility around their pursuit of James.
On paper, it is hard to see the already old Warriors elevating themselves to true contender status in the way that teams like the Cavaliers, Timberwolves and 76ers could with James in tow.
But the James camp insists that this move isnt about money, and it doesnt necessarily seem to be about ring-chasing either.
More so, it's about a well-rounded situation that LeBron can enjoy in the true twilight of his career.
And in that case, living the Bay Area lifestyle, playing with some of his best friends in the league and continuing to chase history does have some serious appeal.
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Dan Lyons is a staff writer and editor on Sports Illustrated's Breaking and Trending News team.
He joined SI for his second stint in November 2024 after a stint as a senior college football writer at Athlon Sports, and a previous run with SI spanning multiple years as a writer and editor.
Outside of sports, you can find Dan at an indie concert venue or movie theater.