LeBron James is exploring free agency for the first time in years, and Golden State is legitimately interested. From 2015 to 2018, he competed against Stephen Curry in the NBA Finals. The two boys from Akron had made basketball interesting all over again. But now that both legends are at the tail end of their trophy-laden careers, many wonder… what if James and Curry stopped being rivals and started winning together? The verdict? It is closer than you think.

“People look at what the Warriors can’t pay him, but the Lakers can, which is true,” NBC’s Monte Poole said on 95.7 The Game. “Why would he go to a place where he’s going to get paid $15 million? My response to that is that, well, I don’t think at this stage of his career, LeBron is motivated by money. I don’t think that’s his primary reason to keep playing because he’s a billionaire with a B. So I think he’s playing for other reasons, family being one of them, obviously.”

This follows multiple reports from insider Marc Stein and several local Bay Area outlets claiming that the Warriors are “legitimately interested” in adding James to a veteran core that already includes Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler. Curry is also reportedly set to meet the Akron Hammer this summer with a plan. That pitch is “presumed to include the idea that LeBron could commute from Los Angeles to some TBD degree without having to move his family.”

“I think for LeBron, he likes a challenge,” Poole continued. “He can look at this. We tried it with Austin Reaves and Luka. We had some issues there. At times, it looked okay. At times, it didn’t look okay. But in the end, Luka gets hurt, and they’re done. They’re turning the team over to Luka. It’s not his team anymore. It’s not that he’d be his team if he comes to Golden State. So, there are more different kinds of reasons that would make him think about this. One of them is competition. And two, he’d be playing with some guys he really respects and other veterans like Jimmy, Steph, and Draymond. And I think for LeBron at this stage of his career, I think he would at least consider doing that for those reasons.”

The Warriors have displayed a pattern of chasing big-name players to pair with Curry in recent years. Both Jimmy Butler and Kristaps Porzingis were trade-deadline acquisitions in back-to-back seasons to strengthen the roster. James would be the latest and biggest name to join the list.

This context explains why the Warriors’ interest, once unthinkable, now feels plausible. Three shifts made this possible: LeBron’s free-agent status, the Lakers’ pivot to Luka, and the Warriors’ concrete interest from 2024, when they tried to acquire him at the trade deadline. In a separate report, Poole also noted that the Dubs owner Joe Lacob would welcome the pairing because he loves having stars on his team.

At 41, James is still a valuable player. Over the 2025-26 season, he played well in a third-option role and showed that he can scale up when required, especially in the playoffs. James led the Lakers to a first-round win against the favored Houston Rockets despite missing Doncic for the entire series and Austin Reaves being severely hampered. Those wheels eventually fell off the cart in the next round against the reigning champions, the OKC Thunder, who were too strong.

When the Lakers acquired Doncic, they effectively secured the next decade. So, it’s natural for the Lakers to prioritize a 27-year-old over a 41-year-old. The top brass at Crypto.com Arena pivoted from James’ arena to Luka’s, and the keys were officially handed over in the 2025-26 season. Doncic even helped bring in key free agents Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton. The next biggest hint was in GM Rob Pelinka’s words in May.

“The archetype of the roster we want is going to be retrofitted around Luka and the things he needs,” Pelinka said at the end-of-season press conference.

Multiple ESPN reports indicated that LeBron was unhappy with the shift in power dynamics. But we’ll assess the situation at face value, along with what James said in his final interview about no longer being the superstar in LA.

“I’m not looking at my year as a disappointment,” James calmly said with a smile in May. “I was put into some positions I’ve never played in my career before, actually in my life. I’ve never been a third option in my life. So, to thrive in that role for that period of time and then have to step back into the role that I’ve been accustomed [to] over my career, over my life, playing a sport, and be able to thrive under that.”

By most accounts, James and Doncic played well together and enjoyed success. But it does mean the former no longer controls the organizational timeline the way he once did. Interestingly, some Warriors observers have argued that Golden State’s hierarchy could actually be cleaner for LeBron. Curry would be the unquestioned face of the franchise, allowing the Chosen One to focus purely on winning rather than carrying the organizational burden.

But there’s going to be an estimated 70% cut to his paycheck (regardless of whether James cares about it or not). On the other hand, there’s no guarantee he’ll make $50 million again with the Lakers, either, because they need to commit to Reaves. That said, what are the other options?

Two more future options for LeBron James that may come into play

The biggest obstacle for the four-time champion moving anywhere is whether that team can afford him. Joining Golden State would likely require a substantial pay cut or a complicated sign-and-trade structure. The Warriors also face luxury-tax concerns, apron restrictions, roster depth issues, and age concerns around a Curry-LeBron-Butler core. Alongside them, the Cavaliers remain in speculation due to the storybook appeal of LeBron’s return.

A final season where LeBron returns to the franchise that drafted him would be one of the biggest stories in NBA history. However, financial limitations, again, and roster complications make this harder than fans realize. Reports have characterized Cleveland as a distant possibility compared to the Lakers or Warriors.

“The idea of a third stint for James as a Cleveland Cavalier is harder to envision, not only because of the severe financial limitations that the Cavs would face in trying to bring him back to Northern Ohio, but the sheer distance from what has been established since the summer of 2018 as James’ Southern California base,” insider Marc Stein and Jake Fischer wrote.

There’s one more card on the table, and it’s not what most want to hear: Retirement.

LeBron hinted that retirement is no longer some distant concept, and that the decision will come when he no longer enjoys the preparation, practices, and daily work required to compete. Most league observers still expect him to play at least one more season, but for the first time, retirement is being discussed as a genuine possibility rather than a hypothetical.

Nobody knows James’ answer yet. We’re all waiting.