Everyone wants to be in a position to add LeBron James to their team right now. Some teams have seemingly already pushed their chips all-in to essentially recruit him by default with their roster. Are the Golden State Warriors one of them?
Not exactly. While they boast something unique in the greatest shooter of all-time, Stephen Curry, and a defensive intimidator in nine-time All-NBA defender Draymond Green, do they stack up roster-wise against the other finalists chasing James?
Some think the Warriors’ front office still has some ground to make up.
Warriors’ Roster Behind Other Teams Interested In LeBron James
There doesn’t appear to be a frontrunner in the James free agency sweepstakes. Yet, the opportunity to play alongside someone special like Curry, arguably is enough of a reason to keep James home in California, only this time in a Warriors jersey instead.
Yet, ESPN’s NBA insider Shams Charania suggests that the Warriors’ roster still needs some work before jumping to the front of the pack. Warriors rumors linked the team to an Anthony Davis trade, but those plans haven’t come to fruition.
“The Warriors would need a little bit of work still,” Charania said. “The big thing with the Warriors was packaging James with another star player. That’s what would get James’ attention. That’s the idea. That’s when the Warriors went into free agency, ‘Can we start a Big 4?’ Steph, Draymond, LeBron, and Anthony Davis.”
“We know the relationship between AD and LeBron goes deep. So, are you able to get that done? So far, there’s been no real traction in any trade conversations the Warriors have on AD or any other star,” Charania added.
The Warriors’ inability to recruit another star has, according to Charania, left them on the outside looking in as finalists to sign James. But more moves could change Golden State’s positioning.
“That leads me to believe, and they are, to my knowledge, behind other teams such as Miami, Cleveland, Philadelphia. The Sixers literally got on the map the moment they got Jaylen Brown; they were not even in the picture. That just goes to show, you make moves, you can get LeBron’s attention.”
“The Warriors would need a little bit of work still for LeBron James to go there..
To my knowledge the Warriors are behind the Cavs, Heat, and 76ers right now” ~ @ShamsCharania https://t.co/ZFg8UjcQCc pic.twitter.com/rOu9TebuYj
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) July 16, 2026
Meanwhile, the 76ers have added Brown to a core featuring Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, and Joel Embiid. A strong case could be made that the 76ers are one of the teams that feel like they’ve molded a roster that’s just a James-shaped puzzle piece away from a championship.
Though, as Charania notes, Philadelphia wasn’t on the map when the offseason started, so maybe there’s still hope for other teams such as the Warriors too.
