It seems like, in all likelihood, LeBron James will either stay with the Los Angeles Lakers or return to the Cleveland Cavaliers this summer. But according to at least one report, the Golden State Warriors could be lurking as a threat to snag the 41-year-old.
James is good friends with both Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, and based on his history, he does seem to love to stack the deck in his favor as far as teaming up with a couple of other superstars or stars. The Warriors lack the salary-cap flexibility to make James a big offer, but according to Tim Kawakami of The San Francisco Standard, they could be able to pay the future Hall of Famer roughly $15 million for next season.
“If they maneuver their roster and payroll just enough, the Warriors could offer LeBron the $15.1 million nontaxpayer midlevel exception,” Kawakami wrote. “And, very importantly, the Warriors would not have to trade anything or unload any major salaries to do it. This would be a direct add.
“Again, I don’t think LeBron ending up with the Warriors is the likeliest scenario. I think it’s set up for him to return to the Lakers; they’re the one likely option that could pay him a lot more than $15.1 million. Also, LeBron could retire.”
Midway through last season, the Warriors traded for six-time All-Star forward Jimmy Butler and finished the season in strong fashion, which led to higher hopes for this season. But they won just 37 games this year and failed to reach the play-in tournament. It is always possible that both James and Golden State feel that joining forces would reopen the team’s championship window for at least one more year while James and Curry are still playing at a superstar level.
But as Kawakami noted, the Lakers could offer James a lot more money than any other team. In fact, they could even offer him at least something close to a max salary, although whether they would actually do so is a big question, given the multiple roster roles they need to fill and other incumbent free agents they will want to keep.
Los Angeles is projected to have as much as roughly $50 million in salary cap space this summer. It paid James $52.6 million this season, and it also wants to retain rising star guard Austin Reaves, who could command as much as $40 million a year this summer in free agency.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Reporter on how much the Warriors could offer LeBron James
Reporting by Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire / LeBron Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
