The NBA is chasing after LeBron James in free agency. While only a handful of teams are still pursuing the 41-year-old future first-ballot Hall of Famer, the Golden State Warriors are among the lucky few still in the running.
As a former player who now makes a living trying to build the best roster possible, Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. understands how important it would be to land the top available free agent.
Warriors Shift Attention From LeBron James to Current Team
The Warriors (and every other basketball team) would be thrilled to add James to their roster this offseason. Yet, this isn’t Dunleavy’s first rodeo. He’s chased after big fish before, and even reeled some in. But he’s also lost out on his top free-agency targets, too.
He knows that it wouldn’t be the end of the world if James doesn’t pick the Warriors this offseason. As always, life in the NBA goes on.
Yet, Dunleavy is also keeping the hope alive, suggesting there’s still a chance the NBA’s all-time scoring leader stays in California, this time with the Warriors rather than the Los Angeles Lakers.
“I think we’re getting close to finalizing the roster here, so we’re looking forward to that finish point … We’ll see. We shall see,” Dunleavy said Tuesday at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.
Mike Dunleavy Jr. on the Warriors offseason moves:
“I think we’re getting close to finalizing the roster here so we’re looking forward to that finish point… We’ll see. We shall see.” pic.twitter.com/CWt2yj2fL2
— aly ✶ (@jinthirty) July 14, 2026
Dunleavy didn’t give a hungry basketball world much to work with, but as James creeps closer to making a decision, almost every reaction is worth noting at this stage in the game.
The Warriors’ first-round pick, Yaxel Lendeborg, has already made his recruiting pitch to the 22-time All-Star. But the rookie may not have much pull.
Maybe the “finish point” that Dunleavy refers to still involves adding James to the roster as the final piece to the Warriors’ puzzle. Then again, most of the top players have already made up their minds in free agency; much of the NBA world is waiting on James at this point.
If the ball bounces the Warriors’ way, they’ll be adding another future Hall of Famer to an already accomplished core featuring Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.
The veteran’s decision could come any day now, and while adding Kevin Durant was a big achievement, James would arguably be the biggest signing in Warriors franchise history, and he’d certainly be among the most celebrated, too.
