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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) takes a breather during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Crypto.com Arena on February 5, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
The Golden State Warriors are running out of time to pursue another NBA championship with Stephen Curry as their main star. At this point in time, it seems that the franchise has another couple of years to pursue that goal.
After Jimmy Butler went down with a season-ending torn ACL earlier this year, the Warriors’ hopes of an NBA Finals run suffered a major setback. Their season isn’t over yet, but they’re facing a major uphill battle.
That has led to many already looking ahead to the NBA offseason.
Golden State has been connected heavily as a potential contender to sign LeBron James in free agency if he chooses to leave the Los Angeles Lakers. A pairing of James and Curry would make for pure basketball entertainment.
Now, a new update has been shared about the Warriors’ potential pursuit of James.
New Update Shared on Golden State Warriors, LeBron James Rumors
Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey weighed in on the possibility of James heading to Golden State to finish out his NBA career alongside of Curry.
“LeBron doesn’t necessarily have to sign with the Warriors (or any other suitor) for the minimum. Golden State could have access to the non-taxpayer mid-level exception this summer,” Bailey wrote.
“That would allow it to offer a starting salary of $15.1 million. It could also have the $5.5 million bi-annual exception. And the Warriors don’t have to give all of either to LeBron. Each of those exceptions can be divvied up among multiple free agents.”
Basically, the Warriors could sign James on a team-friendly contract. That would allow them to get aggressive in other pursuits to round out talent around Curry and James.
Golden State will have a very legitimate chance of signing James if he chooses to leave the Lakers.
What Would LeBron James Bring to the Warriors?
At 41 years old, James is no longer the elite NBA superstar that he once was. He isn’t the best player in the league anymore.
Despite that fact, James is still more than capable of being a high-impact player.
Throughout the course of the 2025-26 NBA season thus far with Los Angeles, James has played in 42 games. He has averaged 21.6 points per game to go along with seven assists, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.1 steals. James has also shot 49.9 percent from the floor and 32 percent from three-point range.
Adding those numbers would be impactful for the Warriors. He doesn’t have the best a top-five player in the league anymore.
Whether or not Golden State will actually pursue James aggressively or not this offseason remains a mystery. However, it’s a move that would make a lot of sense for the Warriors and Curry would undoubtedly enjoy having James as a teammate.
Evan Massey Evan Massey is a sports reporter and analyst located in Indianapolis, Indiana who covers the NFL, NBA, MLB, WNBA, and college sports. He has been featured on many publications, including Newsweek, Athlon Sports, ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, Forbes, Bleacher Report, Sporting News, and many others. In his free time, Evan enjoys spending time with his wife and son. More about Evan Massey
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