LeBron James to the Golden State Warriors this off-season? The Cavs' All-Star forward would listen to their pitch if Golden State finds a way to clear the necessary cap space, according to ESPN's Chris Haynes.
There are a number of things that would need to happen, and there is no indication the Warriors are discussing such options, but the report suggest LeBron would entertain the possibility of moving to the Bay Area "out of respect for the Warriors' winning culture."
LeBron is surely going to decline his $35.6 million player option with the Cavs and become an unrestricted free agent, and any team that has the ability to offer a max contract will target him this summer. That could include the Warriors, though they'd need to include Klay Thompson in a sign-and-trade scenario in order facilitate the deal. According to ESPN's Kevin Pelton, the Warriors could build an offer around Klay and Andre Iguodala to match salary and tempt the Cavs into making a deal.
ESPN's Chris Haynes writes,
"James and his business team have been known to covet structure, if he were to leave his hometown team. With Golden State, an ultra-aggressive general manager in Bob Myers, the ownership group as a whole and coach Steve Kerr are the epitome of that."
For the sign-and-trade option to be a possibility, Kevin Durant would also need to decline his player option and take less than his current salary of $25 million. Golden State would ultimately have to fill out its bench with players making the league minimum.
According to Haynes, the Warriors have approximately $135 million tied up in payroll, the highest in the league.
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